Zingy Cabbage Pickle

Not a refrigerator pickle nor a fermentation, this Zingy Cabbage Pickle is a preserve recipe that is shelf stable.

I was gifted a huge cabbage when I was doing some thrift store retail therapy, of all places. I am always on the hunt for large preserving jars and gosh, second hand stores have plenty! While I have tried my hand at fermentation in previous years I didn’t trust myself to do it again so turned my hand to pickling the cabbage into a shelf-stable pickle I could use at a later date.

This recipe only used a quarter of the over-sized cabbage, so I think a small cabbage would probably give you the eight cups of shredded cabbage required. Don’t worry if you are a little over or under on the vegetables, it will resolve during the cooking process as the liquid reduces and thickens.

If you don’t have any celery seeds, there are some great alternatives: fresh celery, celery salt, dried celery, dill seeds, fennel seeds or caraway seeds.  Speaking of options, you can also substitute mustard seeds for regular wholegrain mustard as the ingredients are basically mustard seed, water and vinegar, so it won’t be out of place.

What does it taste like? A little sweet and a little sour, but certainly has BITE – the combination of both the chilli flakes and the vinegar. It’s a mustardy-relish, a little like a chow-chow crossed between a zingy burger relish!  Once bottled, let it rest for a few months for all the flavours to settle. Packed full of flavour it’s great on a cheese platter but also in a casserole or slow-cooked dish.

Zingy Cabbage Pickle

Makes: approx 1 litre

Ingredients

• 8 cups of shredded cabbage
• 4 large mixed coloured capsicum, finely diced (approx. 4 cups)
• 4 medium onions, finely diced (approx. 3 cups)
• 4 Tbsp sea salt
• 2 litres of lukewarm water
• 1 litre white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 Tbsp mustard seeds (or wholegrain mustard)
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 Tbsp celery seeds, optional

Method

1. Remove the outer rubbery layers of the cabbage and discard to your compost. Remove the thick core by cutting the cabbage into quarters and slicing it out of the centre. Shred cabbage and cut those shreds roughly into chunks. Measure, then place in a large saucepan.
2. Add finely diced capsicum, a combination of green and red if you have it handy.
3. Add finely diced onion. Combine well.
4. Dissolve sea salt in the lukewarm water, then add to the saucepan too, covering the vegetables. If you need an extra cup of water to ensure it’s well covered, do. Cover the saucepan and rest for at least an hour at room temperature (do not cook).
5. Drain the vegetables, rinse, then drain again. Squeeze out any excess water.
6. Return the vegetables to the large saucepan, then add vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, ground cloves and chilli flakes.
7. Put the pot on a high heat and bring to the boil. Once at boiling point, reduce to a simmer for approx 60 minutes until the liquid has reduced. Stir every 15 minutes or so. The cabbage will reduce in volume.
8. Pack relish into hot sterilised jars. Be sure to top up with juices so all the relish is covered.
9. Poke down to the bottom of the jar to release any air bubbles with a clean knife. Clean the mouth of the jar with a paper towel, then seal with warm sterilised lids.