Cooked - A Natural History of Transformat Part 27

Spices (1 teaspoons juniper berries, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, or 1 tablespoon caraway seeds for Old World kraut, or whatever spices and quant.i.ties you like)

One (- to 1-gallon) wide-mouthed gla.s.s or ceramic container fitted with a lid, or two to three 1-quart containers, or a sauerkraut crockThinly chop or shred the cabbage into roughly -inch thick slices and place in a very large bowl or tub. Shredding the cabbage on a mandoline gives the best result. If using other fruits and vegetables, slice them to about the same thickness as the cabbage and add to the bowl. For odd-shaped vegetables like carrots, using a thick box grater is easiest. The rougher the cut, the better as more surface area is exposed to the salt.

Add the salt (1 to 2 teaspoons per pound of cabbage mixture) to the cabbage mixture, mixing it into the shredded leaves with your hands, squeezing the cabbage and pounding on the mixture as you go. (It's best to start by adding 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt per pound and then add another half or whole teaspoon extra per pound if needed.) Within several minutes, the salt will begin drawing water from the cabbage leaves. Continue to squeeze, bruise, or pound the cabbage to speed up the process. You can also place a weight on the mixture to drive out liquid. Wait until the vegetables are dripping wet, like a sopping sponge. Taste the cabbage. It should taste salted but not salty. If it's too salty, add more shredded cabbage or briefly rinse with water to remove. If it's not salty enough, or not wet enough, add a little more salt. Add the spices, if using, and toss.

Pack the mixture tightly in a gla.s.s jar or crock fitted with a lid that can hold at least 8 cups, making sure all the air is squeezed out and the vegetables are completely submerged in their liquid. (If you don't have a large container, use two or three smaller containers, about 1 quart each in volume.) There should be at least 3 inches between the packed cabbage and the top of the jar. Push the vegetables down tightly using your fist. They should be covered in their liquid. Before sealing the jar, either weight the vegetables down with a small ceramic or gla.s.s jar or insert something nonreactive between the lid and the vegetables to keep them submerged in the liquid: a plastic bag filled with stones or Ping-Pong b.a.l.l.s works well or lay a large cabbage, fig, or grape leaf over the shredded cabbage and weight that down with clean stones or other heavy nonreactive objects. There should be enough liquid to cover, but if not add a little water. (Cabbages can lose cell water depending on growing and storage conditions.) Any vegetables exposed to the air will rot. If surface molds form, sc.r.a.pe them away and remove discolored sauerkraut. The kraut may smell funky, like a gym locker, but it shouldn't smell rotten. For the first few days, store at room temperature, ideally between 65F and 75F, then move to a cooler location, such as a bas.e.m.e.nt. That's it: The mixture will ferment on its own; the necessary microbes are already present on the leaves.

If you're making kraut in a sealed gla.s.s container, make sure to release the pressure every few days, especially the first couple of days, when bubbling will be most active. In a mason jar, you'll know pressure is building when the metal top begins to bulge; open just enough to release the gas and reseal. Those old-timey gla.s.s crocks with the hinged tops held in place by a metal clasp work well since they will release pressure along their rubber gasket. Easiest of all is a ceramic crock designed for making sauerkraut. Available online in various sizes, these crocks have a water lock that releases bubbles of gas while keeping air out. If at any point water seeps out of the jar during fermentation and the cabbage mixture is not fully submerged in liquid, dissolve teaspoon of fine sea salt in a cup of water. Add enough brine to keep the sauerkraut submerged in liquid.

How long before the kraut is ready? It depends-on the ambient temperature, the amount of salt used, and the local population of microbes. Taste it after a week, then two weeks, and then weekly after that. When the level of sourness and crunchiness is to your liking, move your kraut to the refrigerator to put the breaks on the fermentation.

VARIATION: To make a version of kimchi, replace the cabbage with Napa cabbage and Daikon radish; the cabbage can be sliced into half-inch rounds, and the daikon into quarter-inch rounds. Replace the sauerkraut spice mixture with: 4 cloves minced or crushed garlic (or more, to taste)

4-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced (or more, to taste)

2 tablespoons powdered red pepper (or more, to taste)

2 tablespoons coriander seeds (or half a bunch of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped)

4 green onionsThe rest of the process is the same as for sauerkraut.

Appendix II:

A Short Shelf of Books on Cooking

These are the cookbooks and books on cooking I've found indispensable and to which I return again and again for explanation and inspiration.

COOKING IN GENERAL

The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters

The Cambridge World History of Food, edited by Kenneth F. Kiple and Kriemhild Conee Ornelas

Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, by Richard Wrangham

The Essence of Cookery, by Karl Friedrich von Rumohr

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace, by Tamar Adler

A History of Cooks and Cooking, by Michael Symons

How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, by Harold McGee

FIRE

The Barbecue! Bible, by Steven Raichlen

The Magic of Fire: Hearth Cooking, by William Rubel

Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way, by Francis Mallmann

Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country, by Lolis Eric Elie; photographs by Frank Stewart

WATER

Braise: A Journey Through International Cuisine, by Daniel Boulud

Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking, by Paula Wolfert

A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes, by David Tanis

Soffritto: Tradition and Innovation in Tuscan Cooking, by Benedetta Vitali

Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America, by Laura Shapiro

The Taste for Civilization: Food, Politics, and Civil Society, by Janet A. Flammang

AIR

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart

The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens, by Daniel Wing and Alan Scott

English Bread and Yeast Cookery, by Elizabeth David

Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads, by Peter Reinhart

Tartine Bread, by Chad Robertson

EARTH

The Art of Fermentation, by Sandor Katz

Brewing Cla.s.sic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew, by John J. Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff

How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Beer Right the First Time, by John J. Palmer

Microcosmos: Four Billion Years of Microbial Evolution, by Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan