It is hardly possible to imagine a vegetable more versatile than red cabbage, because it is easy to prepare for the winter in a variety of ways. Grown in your own garden, it can become a cheap but sophisticated side dish for a gourmet.
Beneficial properties of red cabbage
In addition to properties that cleanse the body, the vegetable has a number of other health-positive qualities.One of them is strengthening blood vessels. In addition, it will be useful for people who have problems with blood pressure, as it can bring it back to normal.
Finally, consuming this product helps stabilize cholesterol and sugar levels, which obviously will not harm lovers of fried and sweet foods. The red, purple, and blue varieties have these properties.
Preparing the main ingredients
Since this vegetable tastes juicy and slightly spicy, it is suitable for many dishes. These can be soups, stews, salads... This vegetable can also be fermented and pickled. A properly prepared dish carries exquisite notes of aroma and taste.
If you want to fully enjoy red cabbage in its various forms, you can try several of the recipes described below. To get started, you should stock up on the following basic ingredients, in addition to the cabbage itself:
- vinegar;
- beet;
- pepper;
- carrot;
- salt;
- sugar.
As a result, you will get quite a lot of interesting cooking options that will not leave gourmets indifferent. Well, even if these recipes are not to someone’s taste, then nothing prevents you from coming up with something of your own.
Cooking recipes
There are several cooking methods that will reveal the palette of taste qualities. Each of these recipes is original and, at the same time, it is not too difficult for an amateur cook.
Classic, with vinegar for the winter
Firstly, such a dish can be an excellent ingredient for side dishes and salads in the winter season. Well, secondly, someone will be happy to eat it anyway. Here are the ingredients you will need to prepare one jar:
- 1 kilogram of main vegetable;
- 2 cups vinegar 9%;
- 2 bay leaves;
- 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- 2 cloves;
- 50 grams of salt;
- 60 grams of sugar;
- 4 black peppercorns;
- 1 liter of water.
You will need to mix cabbage shavings with 20 grams of salt, rub with your hands with medium force and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Now the mixture should stand for five hours, and during this time you can prepare a canning container.
When enough time has passed, you need to pack the red cabbage tightly into the containers. A marinade is prepared from the remaining spices and salt and then poured into a container. The marinade should not reach 1 centimeter to the edges. All that remains is to fill it all up to the edge with pre-calcined refined oil, after which the jar can be rolled up.
Spicy with beets
A very delicious dish, although very simple to make. Here are the ingredients needed for 5 kilograms of cabbage:
- 200 grams of beets;
- 2 pods of hot pepper;
- 50 grams of honey;
- 100 grams of salt;
- 0.5 lemon;
- 1.5 glasses of water.
The head of cabbage should be cut into several small pieces, but not into shavings. Then you need to remove the seeds from half a lemon and grate it. Lemon should be mixed with cabbage and the resulting mixture should be transferred to a container for seaming.
During the transfer process, you need to periodically sprinkle it all with beets and herbs. Now salt and honey are dissolved in hot water and then pepper is added. This mixture needs to be filled with the contents of the container. Finally, all that remains is to cool the product, carefully close it with a lid and put it somewhere cool. In a week, a simple but tasty dish will be ready.
With bell pepper
This wonderful marinated dish will be an exquisite surprise for gourmet guests. Here's what you'll need:
- 1 kilogram of cabbage;
- 200 grams of sugar;
- 1 kilogram of multi-colored bell peppers;
- 1 liter of water;
- 3 grams of dry dill seeds;
- 70 grams of salt;
- 150 grams of onions.
First you need to wash the pepper, then put it in boiling water for 5 minutes. After the expiration date, you should immediately place it in ice water. When the vegetable has cooled, remove the top film from it, remove the partitions and seeds, and then cut into strips. Then you will have to chop the cabbage and mix it with pepper.
Light-colored onions are peeled, washed, and then cut into halves of rings into the resulting mixture. Then all this is mixed with salt and sugar, as well as dill seeds. It is necessary to grind the mixture a little. Everything is put into a clean container and rolled up. All that remains is to pasteurize the workpiece: a 0.5 liter jar needs to be held over the fire for 20 minutes.
In jars of aspirin
Of course, if a person tries to take as few medications as possible, this recipe will not suit him. But for those who are not squeamish, red cabbage with aspirin is an interesting option. Aspirin helps keep cabbage in good condition for a long time. Here are the ingredients you will need for the recipe for pickled cabbage with carrots in a three-liter jar:
- the cabbage itself (how much will fit into the jar);
- 3 tablespoons sugar;
- 3 bay leaves;
- 2 carrots;
- 6 black peppercorns;
- 3 aspirin tablets;
- 3 tablespoons coarse salt.
First, the cabbage is shredded. Then the carrots are grated on a coarse grater and mixed together with the cabbage. You need to mix this mixture with your hands. The jar is doused with boiling water. A third of sugar, peppercorns and salt are added, after which a bay leaf and 1 aspirin tablet are added.
Half the jar is filled with a mixture of carrots and cabbage, the whole thing is compacted, after which the filling of the ingredients is repeated a couple of times. Now you need to pour boiling water up to the so-called “shoulders” of the jar, and after 5 minutes you should add boiling water to the very top and screw on the lid. You will have to turn the jar over and wait until it cools down. Then she goes to a cold place.
With raisins
Red cabbage can exhibit amazing flavor qualities. One of the most interesting dishes is stewed vegetables with thyme and raisins.. Here's what you'll need:
- 500 grams of cabbage;
- 1 sprig of thyme;
- 1 tablespoon light raisins;
- 30 grams of butter;
- pepper and salt to taste;
- 50 milliliters of white wine vinegar;
- 20 grams of brown sugar.
A tablespoon of water, vinegar, sugar and butter are mixed in a saucepan. Now you need to close the reservoir and heat over medium heat until the butter melts. Add raisins, thyme and pre-shredded red cabbage.
You need to add pepper, salt and mix the result. Then all this needs to be brought to a boil, covered and put in the oven. By this moment, the latter should already be heated to 160 degrees. Preparation takes two hours. In this case, you need to stir the cabbage every half hour.
Marinated in pieces, quick cooking
An excellent option for salads in cold weather. It is extremely easy to prepare. Here are the components you will need:
- 1.5 kilograms of cabbage;
- 0.5 liters of water;
- 0.5 tablespoon whole black pepper;
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds;
- 2 bay leaves;
- 1 tablespoon salt;
- 1 carrot;
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar;
- 0.5 tablespoons of cumin seeds;
- 0.75 cups apple cider vinegar;
- 3 cloves of garlic.
First you need to chop the main vegetable. The garlic is peeled and washed, after which it is squeezed into the cabbage. The carrots are washed and peeled, rubbed into thin strips into the already prepared mixture. When adding salt, there is no need to stir the product.
Then sugar and spices are poured into a container with hot water. After 2-3 minutes, vinegar is poured into the mixture, and the whole thing is brought to a boil. The broth is poured into the cabbage through a fine sieve. All that remains is to close the container and leave it for 4 hours.
Crispy
An interesting option with plums in marinade. The taste is not for everyone, but some will probably find it very elegant and tasty. To prepare you will need:
- 1 head of main vegetable;
- 1 liter of water;
- 100 grams of salt;
- 125 grams of sugar;
- 250 grams of vinegar;
- a few cumin seeds;
- plums weighing 20% of the cabbage weight.
To begin with, the head of cabbage is washed and cleared of the top leaves. Then it is finely chopped. Then you need to pour boiling water over the main vegetable and wait until the cabbage is completely softened. This may take approximately 15 minutes. After this happens, the liquid should be allowed to drain completely.
Separately, mix sugar and salt with water and, bringing to a boil, keep it in this state for a while. Vinegar is added at the end. Cabbage and chopped plums are placed in a 0.5 liter jar, caraway seeds are added. The brine should be poured so that its level coincides with the level of the cabbage. After the dish sits for long enough, it will be ready.
Cabbage salad
Amazing taste and refined aroma - this is what a salad of this vegetable with beet juice in a marinade gives. The components are as follows:
- 2-3 heads of blue cabbage;
- favorite spices suitable for pickling;
- 100 milliliters of water;
- 6 tablespoons table salt;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 2 small beets;
- 100 grams of sugar;
- 1.5 cups table vinegar 9%.
Two 3 liter jars are sterilized. The main vegetable is cut into strips into some kind of container. Salt, sugar and spices, such as bay leaf, are added. It wrinkles a little with your hands. Now you need to boil the beets and grate them. Squeeze the beet pulp into boiling water and add vinegar on top. Now the cabbage is placed in jars, filled with the prepared mixture, and then closed with plastic lids.
Pickled
This is a very simple dish to prepare, if you can even call it that. Be that as it may, pickled red cabbage has an exquisite taste and carries certain benefits. Here's what you'll need to prepare:
- 5 kilograms of cabbage;
- 100 grams of sugar (sand);
- 100 grams of iodine-free salt.
The main component is chopped and placed on a plate. Then it is sprinkled with sugar and salted. While sprinkling, it is important to stir and press the mixture with your hands. After five minutes, you can transfer the cabbage to a prepared jar. You need to compact each portion. There should be 2-3 centimeters left on top. It is best to store the resulting dish in the kitchen. The cabbage should stand for three days. It is necessary to periodically make a hole to allow excess gas to escape. All that remains is to drain the juice and the dish is ready.
Storage rules
It’s worth thinking about storage when choosing a vegetable. The head of cabbage should be dense and weigh at least a kilogram. It is necessary to remove the vegetable in time using the correct method. This is done in early October, in dry, relatively warm weather, leaving a couple of covering sheets.The stalk should be around 2 centimeters.
Cabbage should be kept in a cool place, protected from light. Most of the dishes and side dishes described above already in their recipe alone contain those components that will allow them to be stored for quite a long time, which does not negate the need for proper storage.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that red cabbage is one of those products that can be suitable as a side dish for many dishes. Therefore, growing this vegetable is an excellent solution for a gourmet summer resident.
