Cabbage is always loved in our country. This is not surprising, because this vegetable is excellent in any version, but in pickled form, cabbage has no competitors. Crispy, piquant pickled cabbage with a pleasant sourness is a welcome dish on any table. It perfectly complements meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, it is used as a filling in baked goods, and also as a full-fledged ingredient in winter salads. Any kind of cabbage can be pickled, the preparations made from red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, colored cabbage, broccoli and, of course, the queen of salting, white cabbage, are delicious.
Secrets of a successful cabbage
Unlike sauerkraut, pickled cabbage cooks much faster. The process of its preparation begins with the manufacture of a special marinade, which is then poured into coarsely chopped or finely chopped cabbage. Often other components are present in the recipe, for example, cabbage is often pickled with the addition of carrots, beets, bell peppers, apples, cranberries and many other products. The finished dish has the same properties as fresh vegetables, vitamins are almost completely preserved in it.
There are a lot of ways to marinate cabbage, as a rule, they are easy to prepare, and the list of products required for cooking is rather short. The most common "partners" for cabbage are:
- Carrot;
- Sweet or hot pepper;
- Apples;
- Beet;
- Horseradish;
- Berries;
- Garlic, mushrooms;
- Spices and herbs.
All ingredients, including the heads of cabbage themselves, are chopped into thin strips, cubes of different sizes, all kinds of curly elements, and even rubbed on a grater. The crushed products are placed in a jar in alternating layers or mixed well.
To prevent the cabbage from turning out soft and tasteless, strictly follow the cooking rules:
For marinating, it is recommended to use wooden, enameled or glass dishes; containers made of food-grade plastic are also suitable. It is strictly forbidden to use objects made of aluminum, this metal is subject to rapid oxidation - as a result, your cabbage will be spoiled.
Always prepare the marinade with a small margin, cabbage tends to absorb a lot of liquid, so after a couple of days, the remaining liquid may come in handy.
If you want the cabbage to turn out a little sweetish - add a little bell pepper or beets to the preparation.
If the container with the workpiece is hermetically closed, then it can be stored throughout the winter. The opened jar must be kept in the refrigerator, and it must be eaten in a maximum of a week.
The benefits of pickled cabbage:
- Simplicity and speed of the process - no need to wait several weeks until the cabbage is fermented, no sterilization of cans is required, as with winter vegetable salads;
- Profitability - in the fall, vegetables can be bought at affordable prices;
- Do-it-yourself cabbage is a low-calorie and healthy dish;
- The tasty piece can be easily stored in the refrigerator or in the basement.
Keep in mind that early varieties of cabbage are not at all suitable for such preparations, crispy and long-stored cabbage will only come from late varieties of vegetables.
The subtleties of the perfect marinade
Delicious, moderately spicy and crunchy cabbage is obtained only with the right marinade. It consists of the main unchanged components: water, sugar, salt and vinegar. You can supplement the marinade with various spices, berries, herbs, vegetables and fruits.
If for some reason you are against vinegar, you can replace it:
- Wine or apple cider vinegar - in case of replacement, be guided by the vinegar concentration indicated in the recipe. So, you can replace 100 ml of 9% table vinegar with 150 ml of 6% apple cider vinegar.
- Fresh lemon juice or citric acid.
Spices give the marinade a special richness, aroma and piquancy, go well with cabbage:
- Bay leaf;
- Carnation;
- Paprika and hot peppers;
- Coriander;
- Cinnamon;
- Dill seeds;
- Allspice and black peppercorns;
- Celery.
Classic recipe for pickled white cabbage
For harvesting, it is necessary to choose white tight heads of cabbage of late varieties, without cracks or other damage. The taste of the finished dish will be rather neutral, which makes it an excellent component of vinaigrettes, salads, dumplings and pies.
You will need:
- White cabbage - 1 medium head;
- Carrots - 1 pc;
- Water - 1 l;
- Garlic - 3 cloves;
- Black pepper - 10 peas;
- Salt - 2 tablespoons;
- Sugar - 1 tablespoon;
- Bay leaves - 3 pcs;
- Acetic essence - 1 tsp
Cooking method:
Peel the cabbage from dirty, withered leaves and cut into thin strips;
Peel the carrots and grate on a coarse grater, you can gently cut into slices, mix with cabbage;
Put garlic, lavrushka in sterile jars, then, tamping tightly, cabbage and carrots.
Cook the marinade from water, salt, sugar and pepper, it should boil on the stove for about 10 minutes.
Pour jars of cabbage with hot marinade, add vinegar and screw the lids tightly.
Until completely cool, the jars should be left at room temperature, and then they can be stored in a refrigerator or basement.
The preservation will look more impressive if the cabbage is cut into pieces of different size: chop a significant part of the fork, and the rest on the stump - coarsely.
An interesting recipe for pickled cabbage with beets
The appetizer turns out to be very tasty and incredibly appetizing - thanks to the slices of beets, it acquires an unusual pink color.
What you need:
- White cabbage - 2-2.5 kg;
- Carrots - 2 medium;
- Beets - 1 large root vegetable;
- Water - 1 l;
- Garlic - 1 head;
- Salt - 2, 5 tablespoons;
- Granulated sugar - ½ tbsp;
- Allspice - 2 peas;
- Bay leaves - 3 pcs;
- Vegetable oil - 150 ml;
- Vinegar 9% - 150 ml.
How to cook:
Peel the heads of cabbage and cut into large squares or rectangles. The pieces should be about 3x3 cm in size.
Cut the beets and carrots into strips or grate on a coarse grater. Disassemble the garlic into cloves, peel and cut into thin slices. All vegetables, except garlic, are transferred to a large bowl.
Then start preparing the marinade. Add salt, sugar, pepper, bay leaf, oil to the water - the liquid should boil for a couple of minutes. Turn off heat, add garlic and vinegar to it. If you are a fan of spicy food, then you can add a little hot pepper to the marinade.
Next, fill the vegetables with hot pouring and press down well with oppression. In this form, they should stand for one day, after which they can be laid out in banks and rolled up.
Please note that in order to avoid quick spoilage, the marinade must cover the vegetables completely.
If you store pink cabbage in the refrigerator, you can close it with nylon lids. It can be eaten after a few days, but the longer it stands, the richer its taste becomes.
Pickled cabbage "Provencal"
This preparation turns out to be very fragrant and bright, it is good to serve it as a side dish or as a snack.
For cooking you need:
- Cabbage - 1 kg;
- Carrots - 3 pcs;
- Sweet peppers - 2 pcs;
- Bay leaves - 3 pcs;
- Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp;
- Allspice - 4 peas;
- Water - 300 ml;
- Sugar - 1 incomplete glass;
- Salt - 70 gr;
- Apple cider vinegar 4% - 300 ml.
How to cook:
Rinse and peel all the necessary vegetables.
Cut the cabbage into thin strips, coarsely grate the carrots, cut the pepper into half rings.
Transfer all the ingredients to a spacious bowl and mix, rubbing slightly. Add bay leaves, peppercorns and grated nutmeg.
Bring the water to a boil, add sugar and salt, boil for a minute. Then turn off the heat and pour in the vinegar.
Pour the vegetables with hot marinade and press them with a load so that they are completely immersed in the liquid.
After 6-8 hours, cabbage can be distributed in sterile jars and closed with nylon caps. Store "Provencal" should be in a refrigerator or basement with a temperature of about 4-6 degrees Celsius.
Cabbage "Fast"
What you need:
- White cabbage - 1.5-2 kg;
- Carrots - 1 pc;
- Garlic - 2-3 cloves;
- Water - 1 l;
- Vegetable oil - 200 ml;
- Table vinegar - 200 ml;
- Salt - 3 tablespoons with a slide;
- Sugar - 8 tablespoons;
- Bay leaves -5 pcs.
Coarsely chop the head of cabbage, and grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Chop the peeled garlic and stir in the carrots. Lay the prepared vegetables in layers in a saucepan, alternating pieces of cabbage with carrots.
The marinade is traditionally prepared from water, granulated sugar, bay leaves, oil, pepper and vinegar, brought to a boil. After boiling the solution for a few minutes, pour it into a bowl of vegetables and place the oppression on top.
Such a cabbage is ready in a couple of hours.
Quick pickled cauliflower
Cabbage prepared using this method can be eaten after a day, and if the jars are hermetically closed, then it can be stored for a long time. Cauliflower is much healthier than the usual white cabbage, so do not forget to start harvesting it.
What you need:
- Large inflorescence of cauliflower;
- Water - 1 l;
- Salt - 2 tablespoons;
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons;
- Vegetable oil - ½ tbsp;
- Acetic essence - 2 tsp;
- Bay leaves - 2 pcs;
- Black pepper - 3-4 peas;
- Garlic - 2-3 cloves.
To make the cabbage more aromatic and spicy, you can put any other spices in the preparation, for example, it turns out very tasty with onions, chili peppers, fresh herbs and capers.
How to cook:
To begin with, disassemble the cabbage head into inflorescences, rinse well and hold it in slightly salted water - this will help you rid the vegetable of small insects hiding inside.
Boil the jars, then put the spices in them. Place the cabbage inflorescences tightly on top.
Cook the marinade with water, sugar, salt, vinegar and oil.
Then fill the jars with more boiling marinade and tighten the lids without delay.
Completely cooled workpieces can be removed to the refrigerator or basement. After a day or two, the cauliflower will be ready to eat.
Pickled cauliflower "Fragrant"
Cabbage turns out to be incredibly tasty, with the aroma of pepper and garlic, an excellent side dish for meat and potatoes.
You will need:
- Cauliflower - 1.5 kg;
- Carrots - 2 pcs;
- Sweet peppers - 2 large pieces;
- Garlic - 4 cloves;
- Parsley - a bunch;
- Salt, bay leaf, pepper - to taste;
- Water - 1 l;
- Salts for the marinade - 2 tablespoons with a slide;
- Granulated sugar - 3 tablespoons;
- Vegetable oil - 2/3 tbsp;
- Vinegar 9% - 3 tablespoons
Peel the pepper from seeds and stalks, cut into strips. Rub the carrots coarsely on a grater, divide the cabbage into separate inflorescences.
Dissolve the salt in water and bring to a boil. Put cabbage in the resulting brine and leave for 10 minutes under a closed lid, you do not need to cook.
Remove the inflorescences, strain the liquid, and add all the ingredients for the marinade to it. Bring everything to a boil.
Combine vegetables and arrange in containers, season with parsley and garlic. Pour in the marinade and cover.
Insulate the banks and leave for at least 6-8 hours. Next, place the cabbage in the refrigerator for a day.
Quick pickled red cabbage
You will need:
- Red cabbage - 1.5 kg;
- Carrots - 1 pc;
- Garlic - 2-3 cloves;
- Salt - 1 tablespoon;
- Water ½ l;
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons;
- Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon;
- Caraway - ½ tbsp;
- Peppercorns - ½ tablespoon;
- Apple cider vinegar - 150 ml;
- Bay leaf - 3-4 pcs.
Cooking method:
Finely chop the cabbage, chop the garlic, rub the carrots with a small grater, mix everything in a saucepan and salt. It is not worth grinding, the marinade will cope with the salting of vegetables on its own, but the cabbage will retain its juiciness and crunch.
To prepare the marinade of water, boil with sugar and spices, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then pour in the vinegar, wait until it boils again and remove from the stove.
Pour the vegetables with hot liquid through a sieve, you need this in order to strain the solution. Cool, seal the jars and place in the refrigerator. Red cabbage is ready after 4 hours.
Pickled cabbage with cranberries
The cabbage will turn out to be very beautiful, with a pleasant slight sourness.
You will need:
- White cabbage - 2 kg;
- Carrots - 0.4 kg;
- Cranberries - 0.35 gr;
- Water - 1 l;
- Salt - 50 gr;
- Honey - 100 gr;
- Apple cider vinegar 6% - 100 ml.
How to cook:
Rinse the cranberries well and sort. Chop the cabbage into thin strips, and grate the carrots. Mix everything in a deep bowl.
Make a marinade with water, honey, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil and cool. Pour the prepared mixture.
Cover the cabbage with a plate on top, then oppression and keep the harvest for a couple of days in a cool place.
Cooked cabbage with cranberries should be kept in the refrigerator.
