Jars of sunshine…
Now that we’re officially one week in to that great big leap forward, why not pay homage to these bright and sunny days with a little bit of edible sunshine? Zippy, red, orange, crunchy, garlicky–you like flavor? This is it. We won’t even get into the sneaky fridge sips of brine, but know this… they’re a thing.
And they’re hydrating. And if you feel called to it, allow yourself that fridge sip. It’s fermented, or perhaps you grab a clean spoon and dip it in the jar. Maybe you dribble a bit into some sparkling water. I dunno. Be you!
Curried Pickled Cauliflower
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 12 people
Ingredients
- 1/2 head large cauliflower broken into small florets
- 1.5 tablespoons curry powder see notes
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more or less, however you so zingily desire
- 4 cloves garlic finely sliced
- 1 quart filtered water
- 1.5 tablespoons sea salt
Materials
- 1 sterilized 2 quart glass mason jar and lid
Instructions
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Mix curry powder and cayenne powder in small bowl.
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Mix sea salt in water until dissolved in liquid measuring cup.
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In the clean 2 quart mason jar, alternate layers of cauliflower florets, garlic slices and spice mixture until just under one inch of the lip of the jar.
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Firmly press down layers.
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Pour salt water over until all florets are covered, making sure to leave one inch of room at the top of the jar.
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Gently lid the jar, and place in a dark cupboard to lacto-ferment for 5 to 7 days.
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Store in fridge after the fermentation phase and eat as you will!
Recipe Notes
Notes: I use Mark Bittman's fragrant curry powder recipe from How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian.
Josh
I am so going to make this. How do I sterilize the jar? Heat in the oven maybe?
Lucia
Josh!! I’m so pumped you want to give these a try! Yeah, http://citygirlfarming.com/Preservation/SterilizingJars.html is a good resource for sterilization techniques. Basically, you can boil, bake or use a dishwasher to kill the jar cooties. Let me know how this goes!
Josh
Btw, typed my email incorrectly the first time.
Tina
I made this, just sampled a floret. I’m in love. And wondering if I’ma sip da brine ;)))
Now, can I re-use the brine, and add more salt do you think?
Thanks. Fantastic recipe.
Lucia
That’s a great question! I have not used brine twice (I usually end up sipping shots of it until it’s gone), but I think you could definitely try it, though the second batch veggies may not come out as strongly fermented–if you do, will you let me know how it goes?
Teanut
Hi! I was accessing the recipe, and realized I didn’t see the next part of our conversation. I am about to add caulifower to, yes, the same brine I made three years ago! Since then, I added a jalapeno pepper ruby sauerkraut to the cauliflower brine- just to make room for another jar. The kraut is awesome, and I have some cauli florets remaining, that are just delicious! My brine consists of probably half the jar, so I’ll be adding more water and curry and salt, for sure. Can’t wait!
Lucia
Love love love! Thank you for the update! So good to know.