Easy Dill Sauerkraut Recipes

EASY DILL SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Prep the napa cabbage by rinsing away any visible dirt, removing the outer leaves and trimming off the stem. Set leaves and stem aside for later.
• Shred the napa cabbage.
• Place half of the cabbage in a large bowl or pot and add half of the salt. Massage the cabbage until it begins to sweat. Add the remaining cabbage and salt and then repeat the massaging process.
• Roughly chop the dill.
• Add the dill to your cabbage and mix to combine.
• Pack your jar with the cabbage and dill mixture. Leave about 1-2" of head space.
• Place fermenting weight or outer leaves and stem on top to be sure everything is submerged in brine.
• Cap or place an airlock device on jar and leave sit at room temperature for 3-4 weeks.

EASY DILL PICKLE SAUERKRAUT RECIPE

Steps:

• Finely chop washed, green cabbage.
• In a large bowl, put down a hearty layer of chopped cabbage and a generous sprinkling of sea salt (about 1 Tbsp.)
• Add half the garlic and dill, sprinkling around the cabbage layer.
• Continue adding layers of cabbage and sprinklings of salt until you run out of cabbage.
• Add the rest of the garlic and dill to the last cabbage layer.
• Mix ingredients with clean hands or a large spoon.
• Allow the cabbage to sit for ten minutes so the salt can pull some moisture out of the cabbage and tenderize it.
• Pound the cabbage thoroughly with a kraut pounder or any flat, wooden instrument. Be careful not to bang the sides of your bowl.
• Funnel the mixture into a half gallon glass jar, or a fermenting crock.
• Continue to pound each layer and keep pounding until the resulting liquid has covered the cabbage.*

EASY HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Mix cabbage, onion, sea salt, and garlic together in a bowl. Firmly pack mixture into a large, clean, food-grade plastic bucket. The cabbage will start to make its own brine as the salt starts to draw out the water of the cabbage.
• Fill a large, clean, food-grade plastic bag with water and place over the salted cabbage mixture so none of the cabbage is exposed to air.
• Allow cabbage to ferment in a cool, dry place, 1 to 4 weeks (depending on how tangy you like your sauerkraut). The temperature of the room you ferment the sauerkraut in should not rise above 70 degrees F (21 degrees C).

SAUERKRAUT WITH DILL BY SY

Steps:

• Remove the outside leaves of the cabbage, cut out the core and quarter the head.
• Slice/Shred the cabbage into thin strips.
• In a wide Corningware dish (or crock pot) add a layer of the shredded cabbage and sprinkle salt on top, add some dill and toss.
• Next add another layer and sprinkle with salt, dill and toss, etc.
• Add luke warm water to cover the cabbage mixture and toss. (Note: It is important to have enough liquid cover the cabbage all the time. As needed add more liquid; 2 tablespoons salt to 1 quart water-to cover.).
• Next put a flat plate on top to press the cabbage down and then cover with cheese cloth. Make sure the cheese cloth does not go over the lip of the dish, but tucked in around the cabbage.
• Next cover with plastic wrap. (You can also use a plastic zip-lock bag filled with water to act as a weight and seal the cabbage from the air. I use the glass Corningware cover upside down and on the plate, as an additional weight.).
• Every few days, remove any scum and poke (I use chopsticks), toss lightly to make sure there are no air pockets.
• Let ferment for about 3-4 weeks.
• Remove any remaining scum/discolored kraut, toss.
• Transfer to a glass container and refrigerate.
• NOTES:
• 1) It is important to completely de-solve the salt if adding more liquid at the beginning or later on. Also, to thoroughly toss the cabbage. Because if you don't the finished sauerkraut will appear "Sandy" due to the salt granules not de-solving completely.
• 2) Please do your homework on making a safe recipe free from bad bacteria. That is, a good sauerkraut, which is fermented and then refrigerated (which can keep up to 1-2 months). This recipe is not intended for the canning process which uses a hot water bath to seal the sauerkraut and can keep for an extended period of time. This recipe is only written as a general guide only and specific quantities of ingredients are not listed. Because it is important for you to search and follow the written/proper proportions (from a published recipe within an established website or cook book) for the cabbage, salt, vinegar, water, etc and recommended "times" for fermentation. So go to the internet and do a search for a good Sauerkraut Recipe.
• Furthermore, go to these URL's as well; National Center for Home Food Preservation,
• http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can6a_ferment.html,
• http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_06/sauerkraut.html,
• And go to the Food dot com message board, Canning, Preserving and Dehydrating,.
• http://www.food.com/bb/viewforum.zsp?f=24.
• Finally, the Ball Book is a good source of how to safely make fermented products as well.
• 3) This recipe and all notes have now been modified from the initial post.

POTATO AND SAUERKRAUT SOUP WITH KIELBASA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large wide pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the kielbasa and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.
• Add the onion, diced celery and potatoes to the pot and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until the onion and celery are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the caraway seeds and sauerkraut and cook, scraping up any remaining browned bits, 1 to 2 more minutes. Add 6 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir together the heavy cream and mustard in a small bowl. Once the potatoes are tender, reduce the heat to medium low and whisk the heavy cream mixture into the soup. Return the kielbasa to the pot. Increase the heat to medium and simmer until thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide the soup among bowls. Top with the chopped celery leaves and dill.

HOW TO MAKE SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Thoroughly wash a large tub or bowl (we used on the size of a small washing-up bowl), then rinse with boiling water from the kettle. Make sure that your hands, and everything else coming into contact with the cabbage, are very clean. It's wise to use a container that will comfortably fit the softened cabbage, allowing several inches of room at the top to avoid overflow.
• Shred the cabbage thinly - a food processor makes light work of this. Layer the cabbage and the salt in the tub or bowl. Massage the salt into the cabbage for 5 mins, wait 5 mins, then repeat. You should end up with a much-reduced volume of cabbage sitting in its own brine. Mix in the caraway seeds and the peppercorns.
• Cover the surface of the cabbage entirely with a sheet of cling film, then press out all the air bubbles from below. Weigh the cabbage down using a couple of heavy plates, or other weights that fit your bowl, and cover as much of the cabbage as possible. The level of the brine will rise to cover the cabbage a little. Cover the tub and leave in a dark place at a cool room temperature (about 18-20C) for at least five days. It will be ready to eat after five days, but for maximum flavour leave the cabbage to ferment for anywhere between 2-6 weeks (or until the bubbling subsides).
• Check the cabbage every day or so, releasing any gases that have built up as it ferments, giving it a stir to release the bubbles. If any scum forms, remove it, rinse the weights in boiling water and replace the cling film. You should see bubbles appearing within the cabbage, and possibly some foam on the top of the brine. It's important to keep it at an even, cool room temperature - too cool and the ferment will take longer than you'd like, too warm and the sauerkraut may become mouldy or ferment too quickly, leading to a less than perfect result.
• The cabbage will become increasingly sour the longer it's fermented, so taste it now and again. When you like the flavour, transfer it to smaller sterilised jars. Will keep in the fridge for up to six months.