Curtido

Did you know there is a Mexican/Central American sauerkraut?  Curtido is a mix of carrot, onion, cabbage and spices.  This is my favorite way to enjoy fermented cabbage.  Jenny from the Nourished Kitchen introduced me to curtido last year through her Simple Meal Plans.  Each week she includes a lacto-fermented recipe in addition to 3 delicious meals, a dessert and a soup all using seasonal foods.

Curtido

• 1 small head of cabbage, cored and shredded
• 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
• 1 small onion, shredded
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or 1 jalapeno chopped)
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup fresh whey
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt

In a large non-reactive bowl, combine everything.  Mash together using a wooden spoon or or this masher from Cultures For Health.  You can also use your hands to really squeeze the juices out.  Once the juice is released from the vegetables, begin layering and pounding the mixture into a fermenting crock or mason jar.

Use a plate or a gallon sized Ziploc bag filled partway with water to keep the vegetable mixture submerged in it’s juices.  Let sit at room temperature for 2-4 weeks.  Mold may grow on top but just scoop it off.  After the ferment period, place in cold storage.  It will last a year or so.

This is my sauerkraut set up, a cheap glass jar from a craft store.  Once it’s done fermenting, I’ll put the curtido in quart sized mason jars so I can start another batch.  Maybe fermented lemons next…

This recipe is part of Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday.