kraut

Was ist die beliebteste Beilage zu Fleisch in Bayern? Genau, das Bayrisch Kraut mit Speck und Kümmel. Wir haben das Rezept parat, wie der Bayer das Kraut klassischerweise zubereitet - von unserem Chefkoch Ralf Jakumeit.

Bayrisch Kraut &#8211; das deftige Original

Spitzkohl

ml Hühnerbrühe

g Speck

g Butter

Zwiebel

EL Kokosblütenzucker

TL Kümmel

EL Himbeeressig

Als erstes geht's an den Kohl. Hier könnt ihr auch Weißkohl statt Spitzkohl verwenden. Das Kraut wird erstmal geviertelt, sodass wir den Strunk einfach entfernen können. Dann alles in grobe Stücke schneiden oder wer mag, kann auch die einzelnen Blätter in Stücke reisen wie beim Salat.

Die Zwiebel schälen und in feine Würfel schneiden. Wenn du Speck im ganzen gekauft hast, diesen ebenfalls in Würfelchen schneiden. Alternativ kann das auch ein Zerkleinerer für euch erledigen.

Nun den Zucker in einen ausreichend großen Topf geben und leicht karamellisieren lassen. Die Butter dazugeben und aufschäumen lassen. Dann Zwiebeln und Speck dazugeben und anschwitzen, sodass die Zwiebeln glasig werden und der Speck etwas Farbe bekommt. Jetzt auch den Kümmel dazugeben und auch leicht anbraten.

Anschließend kommt das Kraut dazu. Alles einmal gründlich verrühren und direkt mit Himbeeressig ablöschen. Außerdem die Brühe dazugeben und aufkochen lassen.

Making your own healthy and delicious sauerkraut at home is easy and cost-efficient. Using a jar rather than a crock allows you to see the transformation from cabbage to kraut, making this a perfect recipe for beginners monitoring the process.

How to Make Sauerkraut

sea salt

Remove the coarse outer leaves and discard them. 

Remove and rinse a few unblemished leaves and set them aside for later. 

Pat cabbage dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.

With a large knife, slice the cabbage to quarters on a cutting board. Use the knife to carefully cut away the core.

Thinly slice the cabbage and transfer the cabbage to a large bowl. 

With your hands, massage salt into the cabbage until it starts to look wet and shiny. 

Taste the cabbage — you want to taste the salt without it being overwhelming. Add more salt, a little at a time, to get that ‘salty but not too salty’ taste.

Continue to massage for 3-5 minutes until the cabbage becomes wet and limp, and liquid, (brine), begins to pool in the bottom of the bowl. You want to be able to squeeze the cabbage in your hands so the brine runs freely into the bowl. If you’ve put in a good effort and don’t have much brine, cover the bowl and let it sit for 45 minutes. 

Massage again until the liquid runs freely when squeezing a handful of cabbage in your hands.

Transfer the cabbage to a clean 1-quart mason jar a few handfuls at a time. Press the cabbage into the bottom of the jar using your hand to work out any air pockets before you add more cabbage.

Repeat until all of the cabbage has been packed tightly into the jar. You should have 2-3 inches of headspace and some brine on top of the cabbage once it’s all been pressed into the jar. If you have too much cabbage, place some in another clean jar following the same process. 

Top the packed cabbage with 1 or 2 of the reserved leaves, gently tucking them down along the sides to keep little bits of cabbage under the brine. Bits of cabbage floating in the brine should be picked out to the best of your ability to avoid developing mold. 

Place a zip-top freezer bag, or sub with a weight, into the jar, using your fingers to spread it out so that it covers as much of the cabbage leaf as possible.

Fill with cool filtered water, sealing and pressing out as much air as possible. Tuck the top of the bag into the jar and very loosely screw the lid on the  jar, or cover with a clean kitchen towel. If using a lid with an airlock, follow the directions for your particular lid.

Store the jar out of direct sunlight in a cool place (55-75 F) to ferment for 4-14 days. Dark is best, but don’t forget about it. If you keep your jar on the kitchen counter, cover with a kitchen towel.

After about two days, check for air pockets in the cabbage and that the brine is still completely covering the cabbage. If you notice these, use clean hands to remove the bag and gently press down to release the air bubbles. Return everything to below the brine.

Replace the bag and lid and let it do its thing. If your sauerkraut is particularly active or the room is warm, repeat this process as needed for the next 2-3 days.

Begin taste-testing your kraut on day 4 by carefully removing the bag and pushing the cabbage leaf aside with clean hands or a utensil. The kraut is ready when it exhibits a pleasant pickle flavor without strong vinegar acidity and has softened yet crunchy cabbage that appears more yellow and translucent. This typically happens between 4 and 14 days, depending on room temperature.

If the sauerkraut is not ready, rinse the bag under running water. Carefully place it back in the jar making sure the cabbage is below the brine. Wait another day or two to taste again and see what you think.

Store the sauerkraut in the refrigerator when it’s to your liking.

Enjoy radish kraut in salads, hot dogs and burgers. It has a similar flavour to sauerkraut, and boasts the gut-friendly goodness of similar fermented foods

Radish kraut

radishes,

½ red pepper, finely chopped

tsp sea salt

sugar

garlic cloves, crushed

red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

still mineral water, to top up

You must sterilise your jars before you start and you will need to check your ferment every day for four to five days.

Combine the radishes and red pepper in a bowl with the salt and sugar, and really scrunch up with your hands, squeezing to start releasing their juices. Leave to cure for 1 hr, then squeeze again for about 10 mins. Add the garlic and chilli, and squeeze some more.

Pack the radish kraut into a sterilised jar, pressing down hard to make sure there are no air bubbles (I use the end of a clean rolling pin for this). As you push down, the brine from the vegetables should cover them (they won’t come all the way up the jar; you should be left with 2-3cm of space at the top). You really need to push down hard. If the brine doesn’t fully immerse the vegetables, add a bit of mineral water to ensure the veg is fully covered with liquid – this is crucial.

Scrunch up some baking parchment and stuff it firmly down into the jar – this will weigh down the veg and keep it immersed. Top with clean muslin and fasten with a rubber band. Leave on a cool, dark shelf for four to seven days, depending on how funky you like it to taste – this really is more of a guideline, as it does come down to personal taste. The speed at which it ferments will also depend on the season. If it’s warm, the process will be quicker; if it’s cold, slower. I like to check my ferment every day to see how it’s coming on, and also to lift off the muslin and parchment to release those fermentation gases before resealing (known as burping), so that the jar doesn’t explode. When you’re happy with the taste, remove the parchment and muslin, seal with the lid and store in the fridge to stop it fermenting any further. Will keep for months.

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