Crispy Georgian cabbage! A vitamin bomb for the spring menu.
GThe Ruthenian name for this dish is mzhave kombosto. And in each region of Georgia, salted cabbage is prepared in its own way. The differences between cabbage in Gurian, Kakhetian, and Imeretian styles are in the set of greens, the condition of the beets (raw or boiled), and the spiciness. They also distinguish Georgian cabbage by the cooking process: natural fermentation and marinated with vinegar. In any case, the characteristic feature of the dish will be the addition of beets.
We suggest preparing this bright, piquant snack by slow fermentation with cold brine. During fermentation, cabbage not only does not lose its useful properties, but, on the contrary, acquires new ones.
Thanks to fermentation, the content of phytoncides, enzymes and various vitamins doubles in the finished product: A, B1, B2, B3, B6, K, P, U. Vitamin U, by the way, has the ability to prevent the appearance of ulcerative lesions on the walls of the stomach and duodenum and heal existing ulcers. And there is even more vitamin C in sauerkraut than in lemon!
Of the mineral substances in the composition sauerkraut They contain: iron, potassium, iodine, calcium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, phosphorus, fluorine, silicon, boron, zinc, selenium... In addition, it is very low in calories!
Georgian cabbage
Ingredients
- 3 kg white cabbage
- 1.5 kg beets
- 3 hot red peppers (you can take 1 piece if you don’t like too spicy dishes)
- 2 heads of garlic
- 2 bunches of celery greens
- 3 heaped tbsp salt
- 2 liters of water
- black peppercorns - to taste
- 10 allspice peas
- bay leaf
- 3 carnation inflorescences
Preparation
- This recipe uses cold brine, so prepare it in advance. Boil water in a saucepan and dissolve salt in it, add pepper, cloves, bay leaf. Vary the amount of salt to your taste. Leave the brine to cool.
- Cut the cabbage into slices with the stalk. Cut the beetroot into thin circles. Choose small heads of cabbage - this way it will look more attractive when fermented.
Cut the peeled garlic into slices and the pepper into rings.
Cut the peeled garlic into slices and the pepper into rings.Place the preparations in layers in a deep saucepan. A little beetroot on the bottom, then cabbage, beetroot again, sprinkle with garlic and pepper rings, cover with celery crushed in your hands (a couple of sprigs). Fill the entire saucepan this way. The top layer is beetroot.
Pour the cold brine over the ingredients so that it completely covers the vegetables. Cover with a lid or plate, put a weight on top. Forget about the cabbage for 3 days, let it ferment right in the kitchen. After some time, taste the brine for salt. You may have to add salt - cabbage absorbs it well.
After 3 days, place the container with cabbage in the refrigerator, and on the 5th day the product will be completely ready! Serve the cabbage, simply put it on a plate. You can cut it smaller and season it with vegetable oil.
A real vitamin bomb with Georgian flavor! Just try to cook it once, and this dish will become a frequent guest on your table.
