Since ancient times, Mother Russia was famous for its dainties, who did not leave the tables of our grandmothers at any time of the year.
One of the most frequent guests was sauerkraut. They say she was saved even in the most hungry years. After all, cabbage is very easy to grow in your own garden, you do not need to buy expensive products to cook it, and a quick way of pickling cabbage allows you to enjoy a treat in the shortest possible time.
The benefits of sauerkraut
This vegetable has been revered and loved for a long time. Explain the reason for this popularity is not difficult.
- It has a very pleasant and pungent taste.
- It is said that sauerkraut is even more useful than raw cabbage, since many useful elements are released during fermentation.
- Sauerkraut in a quick way makes it possible to get the finished dish in a short time.
- This vegetable is just a storehouse of vitamins, which are stored in it for 6-8 months. Moreover, over time, it does not lose its useful properties, but, on the contrary, increases them.
- Crispy beauty can be the basis for other dishes. A quick method of sauerkraut allows you to always have on hand an excellent harvest, from which you can make a variety of salads, cook borsch or stew.
- Another plus that can be recorded in the asset of cabbage is its low calorie content. 100 g of product contains only 20 kcal. This nice feature warms the heart of dieting ladies.
Here are so many advantages of a seemingly ordinary resident of our gardens! A quick way of pickling cabbage allows you to effortlessly prepare a delicacy that you can enjoy all year round.
Talk about vitamins
Sauerkraut is the keeper of many useful substances that remain in it for a long time due to the lack of heat treatment.
- Vitamin C. Everyone has heard about its benefits. It is very useful for blood, has an anti-inflammatory effect on our body, and also contributes to the production of collagen.
- Vitamins of group B. They normalize the metabolism, dull the feeling of hunger, relieve anemia and increase efficiency.
- Cellulose. This polysaccharide helps prevent diabetes, lowers cholesterol, thereby normalizing heart function.
- Vitamin U (another name is methylmethionine). It is often forgotten, but it is this vitamin that allows our immunity to recognize harmful compounds and remove them from the body.
- A huge number of useful elements: zinc, calcium, iron and others.
- Lactic acid. Souring cabbage in a quick way (especially with the addition of sugar) contributes to the release of this acid, which protects our body from pathogenic bacteria.
When is sauerkraut an enemy?
Oddly enough, but, despite all its benefits, sauerkraut can also cause trouble. It is not worth categorically refusing a tasty treat, but still you need to be careful when using this dish for those who:
- Suffers from gastritis, as well as peptic ulcer.
- Has kidney and liver disease.
- Inclined to increased swelling.
- Often notices high blood pressure.
- Suffers from heart disease.
From the notebooks of our grandmothers
Before embarking on the fermentation of cabbage, it would be nice to listen to the tips that are passed on from generation to generation in different families. Who knows, maybe, based on them, your own easy and quick way of pickling cabbage will appear in your notebook.
So what should you look for?
- It is best to choose tight ripe forks of late grades. Greenish leaves and loose heads of cabbage will not work. It will not work and ferment cabbage of early or mid-ripening varieties.
- Be sure to remove rotten or frostbitten areas. In general, it is desirable to cut off the upper leaves. Skillful housewives argue that there should be no more than 5% of the total mass.
- And one more advice from the category of "want - believe it, want it - no." Our grandmothers claimed that cabbage should be fermented only on those days in the name of which the letter “p” is found: Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday. But not on Sunday.
Features of the choice of dishes
An important detail in the preparation of a delicious treat is the dishes. What exactly is sauerkraut? Let's deal with the material.
- Wooden tubs. An excellent choice, it was in them that salted cabbage in antiquity in Russia. The tree is environmentally friendly and gives the vegetable a pleasant aroma.
- Glass jars. Also a good option. Many modern housewives cook cabbage in them.
- Enameled dishes. Suitable for starter culture only if it has no chips inside. Otherwise, the bare metal can play a cruel joke with your dish, namely: to give the workpiece an unpleasant smell.
- Plastic containers. There are no special complaints against them (they are absolutely harmless), but many lovers of sauerkraut claim that in such a container it turns out to be tasteless.
- Aluminum. It is not suitable under any circumstances, since under the influence of acid it oxidizes, and the cabbage gets an unpleasant aftertaste.
There are many ways to pickle cabbage. Let's try some of them.
A quick way of pickling cabbage per day (express method)
They say that full-fledged fermentation requires at least 5 days, but if a feast is suddenly scheduled, a crispy vegetable with a pungent taste will be just the right time as an appetizer. And if so, you must have in your notebook and such express recipes.
A quick way to pickle cabbage with vinegar will help you out in many situations. To cook it, you will need:
- Medium-sized carrots (2 pcs.).
- White cabbage (2.5 kg).
- Salt (with a hill of 2 tbsp.spoons).
Chop cabbage, grind with salt and salt until juice stands out. This recipe needs marinade. It’s easy to cook it:
- Plain water (1 tbsp.).
- Vegetable oil (0.5 tbsp.).
- Vinegar (0.5 tbsp.).
- Sugar (100 g).
- Black pepper (10 peas).
- Bay leaf (4 pcs.).
Mix all the ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour the prepared cabbage with a hot marinade and allow it to cool slightly. Then mix the mixture well, cover and place the load on top. For example, a half-liter jar of water. Until the next day, send the container to the refrigerator.
The advantage of this recipe is its speed. But there is a minus: because of the content of vinegar, there is very little benefit in it.
Faster way of pickling cabbage
There is one more way. Its value is that you do not need vinegar, and the dish will be ready in a short time. A quick way to pickle cabbage without vinegar is chosen by many housewives. You need:
- Cabbage (1 head of medium size).
- Carrots (3 pcs.).
For brine, mix:
- Water (800 ml).
- Salt and sugar (1 tbsp each).
Thoroughly chopped cabbage and carrots in a glass jar and pour the marinade brought to a boil. Leave for a day, and when you see the gas bubbles the next day, press the mixture well again. This must be done until the gas disappears.
After a few days, gas production will stop, and then cabbage can be considered ready. It is the tamping process that accelerates the fermentation, and the snack is prepared much faster.
The palette of colors on your desk
You can cook cabbage not only in splendid isolation. Many gourmets are attracted by the addition of other vegetables when preparing meals. For example, pepper.
Such a quick method of pickling cabbage in slices (and this is how to cut the ingredients) will appeal to many. In addition, there are much more vitamins in it.
So, prepare:
- Cabbage (3 kg).
- Carrots (6 pcs.).
- Bulgarian pepper (6 pcs.).
- Onions and garlic (1 pc.).
And in order to season vegetables, you need to take:
- Salt (50 g).
- Sugar (100 g).
- Vinegar (150 ml).
- Vegetable oil (200 ml).
- Water (1 L).
- Ground black pepper.
In large pieces (about 4 cm long) cut the vegetables. Onions and garlic - in half rings and thin circles. You need to lay out the vegetables in layers, starting with cabbage and ending with garlic. Then you should mix all the ingredients for dressing and fill it with the mixture. In a day, the dish will be ready.
A small nuance: such cabbage can not be stored for a long time, but experienced housewives argue that for a long time, as a rule, it does not linger.
Spicy cabbage
For those who like to experiment, a quick way of pickling cabbage with honey is perfect. Nothing special is required for him, but the dish turns out to be surprisingly tasty. Necessary:
- Cabbage (3 kg).
- Carrots (1 pc.).
For brine:
- Salt and honey (1 tbsp each.)
- Water (1 L).
Mix and compact the vegetables, and then pour the brine brought to a boil. This recipe is suitable not only for everyday, but also for a festive table.
A quick way to pickle cabbage with brown bread
There is another opportunity to speed up the fermentation of cabbage. Add brown bread to it, which will serve as an additional leaven. Required:
- Cabbage (1 head).
- Water (1 L).
- Salt (1 tbsp. L.).
- Crust of bread.
Chop the cabbage, put it in a container and pour boiled brine ( bay leaf, red pepper pod, caraway seeds are sometimes put in it). When the mixture has cooled, you need to add a crust of brown bread to it, tamp and place in a warm place for 2 days. It is recommended to store the cooked appetizer in the refrigerator.
As you can see, there are a lot of recipes for cooking cabbage. Choose any and please your home.