Carrot, Savoy and Fennel Sauerkraut

#Fermented #theGFW

Today I am celebrating Day 22 of #GFW29DeliciousDays2024 over on Instagram and also the launch of the new GFW Substack.

For the fermenting jars I use these Heftman jars available from Amazon. They have an air tight seal to prevent oxygen getting in and a one way valve to release the gasses that build up when the fermentation happens. If you are using normal jars you will need to keep the lids loose so that the gas does not build up inside and ‘burp’ the jars occasionally.

Ingredients

1 medium savoy cabbage, finely shredded

2 large carrots, grated

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 tbsp smoked paprika - I use Santo Domingo bittersweet paprika.

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp Maldon sea salt

Method

Before you start, prepare your jars by sterilising them. I do this with boiling water, but if you have a dishwasher you can run them though on a hot wash.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots and sliced fennel. Sprinkle the paprika, caraway, fennel seeds and salt over the vegetables.

Using clean hands, massage the vegetables thoroughly. This helps release their juices and starts the fermentation process.

Pack the vegetables tightly into the jars, pressing down to eliminate air pockets, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top.

Store the jars in a cool, dark place for 1 to 2 weeks. Taste it after a few days to check the flavour, add more salt or paprika if you fancy. I prefer to eat the sauerkraut after about a week but you can leave it longer as it will just become tangier.

Serving suggestion

In a fried cheese sandwich - it’s sooo very good.