Beetroot & red cabbage sauerkraut

Vegetarian · Polish classic.

Ingredients

• 320g Beetroot
• 450g Red Cabbage
• 1 small Onion
• 2 tsp Caraway Seed
• 1 tsp Sea Salt

Method

1. Add ingredients — Tip all the ingredients into a large bowl, add 1-1½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, then scrunch it all together with your hands for 5 mins.
2. Continue cooking — You might want to wear gloves to avoid staining your skin with the beetroot juices.
3. Cover and cook — Press the veg down in the bowl with your hands, then cover the surface and up the side of the bowl with a large sheet of compostable cling film or something reusable like a beeswax wrap.
4. Add ingredients — Now place another similar-sized bowl on top. Press down hard and add anything heavy (packs of rice or cans work well) to weigh it down so the juices rise to cover the surface.
5. Cover and cook — Cover again. Leave to ferment at room temperature for at least five days, but for maximum flavour, leave for one-five weeks (until the bubbling subsides).
6. Continue cooking — Check the sauerkraut. After a few days, you will see bubbles that have built up as it ferments.
7. Stir — Give it a stir, then cover and weigh it down again as before.
8. Continue cooking — The cabbage will become increasingly sour the longer it’s fermented, so taste it now and again.
9. Chill — When you like the flavour, transfer it to sterilised jars and keep chilled.
10. Chill — Will keep chilled for up to six months.

More Poland recipes

• Bigos (Hunters Stew)
• Bigos (Polish hunter's stew)
• Braised stuffed cabbage
• Challah
• Golabki (cabbage roll)
• Mini bundt cakes