Season of sauerkraut, turnip and other pickled vegetables

It all starts in early autumn, when I carefully choose small, firm cucumbers. They are the foundation of a good turšija (pickled vegetables). We pickle them in salted, boiled water, with sprigs of wild fennel or dill. Some people like to add a few cloves of garlic, and that's fine.

I boil the water and salt together, taste the saltiness, because there is no exact measure, the taste guides everything. I pour the hot solution on the cucumbers, close them with a sterile, original cap and let time do its work.

The season of sauerkraut and turnip brings special joy. Then the whole family gets involved, because large quantities of both cabbage and turnip are needed for the restaurant.

First, we clean the cabbage from the bruised leaves and hollow out its root. Salt is placed in this hole. We stack the heads next to each other, and between them we add shredded cabbage and quince slices. When the barrel has been filled to the top, everything is sprinkled with dry corn.

Then water is poured, but not to the very brim – because during fermentation, cabbage also releases a significant amount of its own juice. The top of the barrel is covered with white cotton cloth, on which a large, heavy, washed stone is placed. I check the process every day and replace the cloth with a clean one. This is a small but important part of the care.

Turnips are well washed and shredded into large pieces. A barrel is filled, boiled water is poured, bay leaf and peppercorns are added. Everything is covered in the same way as cabbage with a cloth, planks and finally the stone.

This is how the flavors of winter are created in Tač.

Take your time. No shortcuts.

The way we were taught and that's the way we keep it.

Sauerkraut sarma

I drain the brine from the sauerkraut head and carefully separate the leaves. I remove every leaf from the hard part, and then I stack the leves on top of each other and align them around the edges so that they are about the same size.

Filling

For the filling, I use a beef neck, ground with the middle plate, either on an electric or manual grinder. About 1.5 kg of meat is needed for 20 pieces of sarma. I add to the meat some finely chopped leeks or onions (three leeks or three smaller onions), four cloves of garlic, two tablespoons of ground sweet red pepper, one tablespoon of ground pepper, chopped parsley leaf and salt to taste. Mix everything well until the ingredients come together.

I fill the leaves with the prepared mixture, fold them into the sarma form and carefully twist the ends.

I put sliced sauerkraut on the bottom of the pot, then add smoked pork ribs or knuckle and some homemade pancetta. I lay out the sarma pieces onto it, one next to another. I repeat these steps for multiple layers, and put sliced sauerkraut on top again.

I pour unsalted beef stock on everything, just enough to cover the contents. Then I press the sarma pieces with a shallow plate so that they do not rise while cooking. I cook them over low heat for two to three hours.

When they are done, I cover the pot and it sit for a few hours before serving. It is then that they are at their tastiest, soft, cohesive and full of flavor.