Homemade Sauerkraut with Shallots & Caraway Seeds

While the recipe below does not include any added brine, the liquid that preserves the cabbage and shallots comes from the salted vegetables themselves.  

The next time you are invited to a fall BBQ with burgers & dogs, bring along a jar of this homemade sauerkraut to share with friends.  Or quietly give a small jar to your best friend who loves hot dogs or Reuben sandwiches.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Fermentation duration: 3-5 days for a milder taste; 2-3 weeks for a stronger, more sour taste.

Serves: 15

Note: You can slice the cabbage with a mandolin, and then cut it down a bit further.  It’s important to give the salted vegetables time at room temperature to sit and soften and release some of their liquids before you put them in the jar.  You can aggressively squeeze the cabbage with clean hands for a few minutes after you’ve salted it, which helps to bruise the cell walls of the vegetables, and allows for the release of more liquid.  Once the vegetables have released enough liquid and you have transferred them to your jar, firmly press down on the vegetables to ensure that they rest below the surface of the liquid brine.  You may have to push the vegetables down a few times during the first day when you begin fermenting them, as they have a tendency to rise up above the surface of the liquid.

When you are first slicing your cabbage, save some of the outer leaves from the cabbage and use those hearty outer leaves to weigh down the sliced vegetables after they have been added to the fermentation vessel.  I saw this trick in a video from the great Sandor Katz, and it works wonderfully. Alternatively, you can always use a glass or ceramic (no metal allowed) fermentation weight.