Danish-Inspired Red Kraut

Danish-Inspired Red Kraut
4.5 from 2 ratings
This kraut is great with salty meats like pork, on a cheese sandwich, over baked or creamy mashed potatoes (try it with crumbled feta), or in a salad.A follower is important because sometimes the vegetables float to the top when you want them to stay under the brine. Find a good system to hold them down, or shove the vegetables in so tightly that a simple grape leaf or folded cabbage leaf becomes a kind of barrier to hold them down. For a weight, another vegetable chunk cut to size is pretty lovely – carrots are perfect for this.—Sharon Flynn, author of Ferment for GoodPreparation time: 15–25 minutesFermentation time: 5+ daysEquipment: 2-liter (68-fluid-ounce) jar, pounder, follower (see below), weight
Servings
8
servings
Ingredients
  • 2 red cabbages, shredded
  • about 1 3/4 ounces fine ground salt
  • 1/2 ounce fennel seeds
Directions
  1. Weigh the cabbage and determine the salt measurement.
  2. The amount of salt you use should come to about 1.5-2.5 percent, but no more than 3 percent, of the cabbage weight.
  3. Transfer the cabbage to a large bowl or container, sprinkle over the salt and let sit.
  4. Pound or massage to get all of the juices out – ideally enough so that if you pick up a handful of cabbage you’ll have dripping water flowing from a clenched fist.
  5. Add the fennel seeds and mix thoroughly. Pack tightly into your jar or crock, add the follower, and weigh down.
  6. Seal with your preferred system. Wait. Check.
  7. It will keep in the fridge for up to 12 months.
  8. Recipe adapted from Ferment for Good by Sharon Flynn (Hardie Grant, 2017)