Georgian-style salted cabbage
When I was shown how to do this recipe, one of the ingredients was a piece of horseradish. It was the first time I had seen it and as I was chopping it up I tasted a little piece. I didn't like it at all. All the time my cabbage was fermenting, there was a sour musty smell in my kitchen and I didn't expect my cabbage to be very good when it was ready. To my relief, when I eventually tried it, the taste and smell of the horseradish could no longer be detected. Try adding horseradish if you like, especially if you enjoy the taste. It's difficult stuff to come by so if you have never tried it or don't like it, I would suggest leaving it out of the recipe.
Ingredients
1.5 kg of white cabbage
4 cloves of garlic
1 chilli pepper
I peeled horseradish root (optional)
1 small beetroot
2 heaped teaspoons of salt
Cut the cabbages into large pieces and then chop the pieces into chunks. Unlike other salt cabbage recipes, this one is better if the cabbage is left in fairly large pieces. Finely chop the garlic, chilli and horseradish and mix with the cabbage and salt.
Peel the beetroot and slice it thinly. Put a few slices on the bottom of a large jar then half fill the jar with cabbage. Add another layer of beetroot slices then top up the jar with more cabbage. Lay any remaining bits of beetroot on top. Press the mixture down and cover the jar loosely. After a couple of days at room temperature, the cabbage will begin to ferment and release gas. The fermentation should take about a week to 10 days, then the bubbles will stop. You can start eating the cabbage as soon as fermentation stops, but it will keep for several months in a cool place. Like any kind of salt cabbage, this makes a lovely salad mixed with chopped onion and a little vegetable oil. You can also fry it with potatoes.