Pickled Cabbage is one of our family favorite salads in the Winter time. Pickled vegetables are very common in Slavic cuisines. Most of the families in Belarus have а summer cottage outside of the city with a garden, where they grow vegetables, berries and fruits. During the Summer season, while the selection of fresh vegetables is abundant, we prepare a different kind of pickles and then enjoy eating them in the Winter.

Some pickles can be prepared not so much in advance – just a day before serving. One of our such favorite and easy to make recipes is a pickled cabbage. It’s tasty, crispy, and healthy.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head cabbage (about 2 lbs)
• 3 medium carrots
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 3 cups water
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 6-8 black peppercorns (whole black pepper)
• 1/8 tsp red chili pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

Cooking Directions:

1. Shred cabbage with a mandolin slicer or a very sharp knife.
2. Peel carrots and grate them with a box grater using the medium holes grater side.
3. Remove seeds and ribs from a bell pepper. Cut it into thin 1 ½ – 2 inch strips.
4. Peel and slice garlic cloves.
5. Place all the prepared vegetables into a large bowl or pan and mix them.
6. Place water, sugar, salt, oil, black peppercorns, and red chili pepper flakes into a pan. Stir all together and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat off and add vinegar.
7. Pour the hot mixture into the vegetables. Initially, the liquid mixture will not cover all the cabbage. Place a plate on the top and put something heavy on the top of the plate. I usually put a pan of water. It will help to soften the vegetables and cover it better with the liquid in some time.
8. Let it sit for several hours. I usually leave it overnight. Remove the pan with water and the plate from the top and stir the cabbage well.

It’s ready to serve. You can serve it as a salad or a side dish.

You can store the pickled cabbage in a refrigerator up to two weeks.