Sauerkraut
Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova
Makes about 1 quart
1 large green cabbage
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
Remove the outer leaves of cabbage, reserving one leaf. Cut cabbage into quarters. Cut out the hard core, and slice cabbage thinly. In a large bowl, add cabbage, and sprinkle with salt and caraway seeds. Let cabbage sit in the bowl about 15 minutes. Using clean hands, crush/mash cabbage continuously, until juices start to flow from cabbage. Continue about 10 minutes; cabbage will start to get soft.
Sterilize* a quart-sized canning or mason jar, and fill it with cabbage. With a spoon, pack it down as tightly as possible. If there is not enough liquid to totally submerge the cabbage, make a brine of 2 teaspoons salt and 2 cups water, making sure salt dissolves. Pour enough brine into the jar just to cover the cabbage. Use reserved cabbage leaf to cover cabbage in the jar. Use a smaller, clean jam jar to weight the cabbage, to prevent it from floating to the top of the jar. Cover jar with a kitchen towel, and store in a cool, dry, dark place (the pantry is perfect for this) to ferment for 5–10 days. Place a saucer or plate under the jar in case of spillover during fermentation.
After the fifth day, taste the sauerkraut. If you prefer it more sour, let it ferment longer. When it is to your liking, cover with an airtight lid, and refrigerate. Sauerkraut will keep for several months in the refrigerator.
* You can sterilize jars for canning by placing them on a sheet pan in a 225 F oven for 20 minutes.