Use This Sauerkraut Recipe for Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwiches.

I’m here to break up your traditional turkey feast and today I’m bringing you a refreshing idea – adding some kale to your turkey sammo. Sure, it seems natural if you made the turkey pastrami we recommended earlier this month, but you’ll have turkey long after the stuffing and spuds are gone, and a little bright, umami-rich cabbage will make that turkey feel right. fresh and new. Packed with texture and a little spice, it can turn a mediocre sandwich into a winner. The added probiotics are a welcome side effect after days of eating cream, butter, cake and more cake.

Have you ever eaten real sauerkraut?

Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage, but if you’ve only ever had it in jars at the store, you’ve never truly tasted sauerkraut—that is, not what purists approve of. There’s still some heat left in the real fruit, with a fizzy, deep flavor that’s slightly salty but not too overpowering, and plenty of spice. This is a living starter, not like the one you can buy in the store.

Cabbage has a core

This is a quick sauerkraut and we don’t cook a ton of it so it cooks up quickly. Take a head of cabbage and cut it in half, separating the core (the white head that you will see somewhere on the head). Now use a knife to make a V-shaped indentation in the cabbage halves to remove the tough core. All that remains is cabbage. Place the flat side of the cabbage half on a cutting board and cut it into short slices (perpendicular to the core), no thicker than ¼ inch. This is, so to speak, a thin chiffonade that will make light but crispy sauerkraut.

Now about the brine

Place the empty pan on the scale and press the tare button to reset the scale to zero. Now add the cabbage and notice how much it weighs. We’re going to add 2% salt to it, so take that number and multiply it by 0.02. This is exactly how much salt you will need. Weigh out the salt and sprinkle it over the cabbage. Now comes the important part: rub it into the leaves. Take clean hands and make sure the salt is mixed with the cabbage and rub it into the leaves. Leave the bowl on the counter for an hour, covered with a kitchen towel. I also like to add some cumin to my sauerkraut, but fennel seeds, celery seeds and coriander are also popular.

Pack it in

When you open the bowl, you will notice that the cabbage has released a lot of water, which is exactly what we need. Now we need to find a fermentation container. Jars are ideal for this, but a covered glass storage container will also work. Make sure the container is very clean; straight out of the dishwasher is always a good way to go. If you don’t have a dishwasher, you can wash your dishes by hand and then pour a little vinegar into them for added convenience. Alternatively, you can use a vacuum bag for this purpose, as it will draw out all the oxygen.

With clean hands, begin packing the cabbage. You want to place it in a container and pack it, making sure there are no air bubbles in it. If necessary, smash it with your fist. As you do this, the cabbage will release more liquid, which is what we want! Finally, take all the liquid from the bowl and pour it over the cabbage in the vessel.

Important note: As long as each piece of cabbage is under the brine (liquid), everything is fine. But cabbage floats, so some people use fermentation weights. If you don’t have any, you can put the plastic fastener back in the container (make sure it’s very clean too). Using your hands, make sure the bottom of the bag fills the empty space in the jar and the top of the bag extends beyond the top of the jar. Close the bag’s zipper almost all the way, leaving an inch or two open. Pour water into the top hole of the bag, it should fill the remaining space in the jar and push the cabbage under the brine. Close the zipper. And voila , homemade fermentation mass.

Go to a dark place

Now place the vessel in a dark place at a temperature of 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Check your new creation daily; you expect bubbles and cloudiness in the brine. This can happen in as little as three to four days, but in colder climates it may take longer. If you are using a closed container, it is important to burp the container every day. (To do this, simply open it and close it again to release the carbon dioxide.) If you use a vacuum bag, it will inflate. When the bag inflates to the point where you fear it will burst, cut off the end, release the air inside, and reseal.

Final krautdown

You decide when the sauerkraut is ready. This may sound scary, but it’s not. Just taste the sauerkraut with a clean fork (never double dip) and when you feel the sauerkraut is done, it is. There is no ideal degree of readiness. Sauerkraut will continue to ferment unless it is refrigerated, which will slow down the fermentation. Some people like their sauerkraut more fermented, and some people like their sauerkraut less fermented. It’s about what you like.

Spread some sauerkraut on your sandwich, add some cranberry sauce or Russian dressing, and enjoy!

Quick sauerkraut recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cabbage

• 2% of cabbage weight in salt

• 1 tablespoon seeds (fennel, cumin, celery or coriander)

1. Core the cabbage and then cut it into short 1/4-inch slices, resulting in a lot of long, thin heads of cabbage.

2. Weigh the cabbage and multiply the weight by 0.02 to get the amount of salt.

3. Weigh out the calculated amount of salt and add it to the cabbage. Spend 10 minutes massaging the salt into the cabbage.

4. Cover the cabbage with a kitchen towel and leave for an hour.

5. Add seasonings to the kale, including any seeds such as fennel, coriander, cumin or celery seeds. Use one tablespoon per head of any seeds you like, then mix into the cabbage.

6. Place the cabbage in a clean glass container.

7. Burp the sauerkraut, checking it daily for fermentation. Taste every day from day 5 onwards and when ready, place in the refrigerator.

More…