Add variety to your table: Pickle sauerkraut and walnuts

Sauerkraut and pickled walnuts are fine examples of the modern art of preserving goods for the delight of introducing different tastes to the table. Both products taste quite unlike their raw or cooked versions.

To start:

3 kg (6 lbs) tender young cabbage, washed, dried and shredded into small pieces

35 g (4 tbsp) salt

The process:

1. When fermentation stops (bubbles will no longer rise to the surface), cover the container with a clean cloth and sterile lid.
2. Skim off any scum that forms, and replace the cloth and lid if they become covered with scum.
3. Allow to ferment at room temperature for about four weeks, checking regularly to see if fermentation is occurring properly.
4. Cover the mixture with a clean cheesecloth tucked down inside the container. Weigh down the cloth with a flat, tight-fitting lid (a plate will do) that is heavy enough for the juice to rise up to but not over.
5. Leave 10 to 15 centimetres (four to six inches) of space above the cabbage mixture.
6. Mix the cabbage and salt in a large non-metal bowl. Pack the mixture into a clean, non-metal container (such as a plastic bucket) and press down firmly or pound with a wooden spoon to push out the  juices.

Sauerkraut can be stored for up to a month at 3°C (37°F).

For long-term storage, process by the boiling-water bath method or in a preserving unit according to the manufacturer's instructions. This recipe makes one to two litres (four to eight cups).

Just don't forget to pick up the brats or the corned beef before savoring this concoction.

You must have:

• 15 to 20 unripe walnuts (in shells)
•  185 g (6 oz)Brine salt
• 1L (4 c) water
• 300 to 500 ml (1 1/4 to 2 c) vinegar
• 8 whole cloves
• 4 small dried chili peppers
• 5 ml (1 tsp) mustard seed1
• 0 ml (2 tsp) whole allspice
• Piece of green ginger,
• 2 peeled cloves garlic, peeled

Note: The walnuts should be young and green and the shells soft (ripe nuts are not suitable).

Getting started:

1. Wipe each walnut and prick all over with a needle; discard any with hard shells.
2. Place the walnuts in a non-metal bowl and cover with a brine (add more or less brine according to the quantity of nuts).
3. Soak for one week.
4. Drain well, cover with fresh brine and soak for another week.
5. Drain well and spread out on a tray or shallow dishes in an airy place, turning occasionally, until the walnuts turn black.
6. Pack into bottling jars.
7. To make the spiced vinegar, combine vinegar, cloves, chilis, mustard seed, whole allspice, green ginger and garlic cloves in a stainless steel pot and simmer for 20 minutes, then allow to cool. Reheat and strain over the walnuts, to cover. Seal jars and leave for a month before using.

Bon appetite.

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