We will have soup for breakfast, and soup for lunch. And for dinner we will have broth! - my 10-yr-old son

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Cortido

This is a Latin American version of sauerkraut...kind of.  We love the taste and even my kids will eat it.


1 head cabbage - green or red, or half of each
2 onions, white or yellow - thinly sliced
3 carrots, grated
1 tbsp. dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. sea salt
1/4 c. whey OR an additional 1 tbsp. sea salt


Wash all the veggies as needed.  Cut and core cabbage then thinly slice or coarsely chop.  Place in a large bowl and add other ingredients.  Some directions say to pound/squeeze/smash for about 10 minutes.  I've had best results by spending a minute or two squeezing/stirring with my hands, then letting it sit for an hour or so.  Squish/squeeze/stir with clean hands again for one to two minutes, then let sit another hour or two.  Repeat as many times as necessary until you have a nice puddle of liquid at the bottom of the bowl.  Pack the cortido into clean quart or other sized glass jars.  Push it down hard.  Leave at least an inch at the top.  You want the vegetables submerged so add water if the veggie liquid isn't enough.  Cover with a clean cloth or a loose lid and let ferment in a warm (think cupboard or basement shelf) for 3 days.  You'll start to see bubbles and the liquid may rise up (or spill over).  Taste every day or so until it reaches the taste you want.  Once done, transfer to the fridge (or cold storage) where it will last several months.  Once it's opened and you're digging into it every day, it's best to use within a week or so.  


This makes between one and two quarts - it depends on how big your cabbage and carrots are.  The juice can be used starting in Stage 1 and the vegetables can be eaten in Stage 3.

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