HOW TO USE LACTO-FERMENTED VEGETABLES IN FIVE DELICIOUS WAYS.
You’ve made kimchi out of carrots, kraut out of cabbage, and pickled cucumbers out of carrots.
What are we supposed to do now? It is easy to take pleasure in the pungent aromas of fermented foods while also ensuring that as many of the foods’ beneficial probiotics as possible are included in your diet.
Instead of Capers or Olives, Use This Ingredient
You are making a spaghetti sauce or a salad, but none of them asks for capers or olives, and you do not have either of those ingredients on hand. You may use practically any Lacto-fermented vegetable in its place by just chopping it up into little pieces.
If you are working on a sauce that has already been cooked, add the fermented “capers” after the sauce has been removed from the heat so that the probiotics are not destroyed.
As an alternative to vinegar
When making salad dressings, instead of using vinegar or lemon juice, try using the brine that was produced by a mature ferment. A mature ferment is one that was begun at least a month ago and has had time to generate a significant amount of sourness.
In Grain Salads
By adding Lacto-fermented veggies to your leftover cooked grains, you can quickly make a salad that is not only very healthful but also quite pleasant. Begin with two cups of a cooked grain for each of the two persons you are serving (rice, barley, quinoa, bulgur, et cetera).
In a mixing bowl, combine one-half cup of chopped Lacto-fermented vegetables with a little of their brine, one-fourth cup of minced parsley, and two to three teaspoons of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, one to two tablespoons of minced dill or mint, and salt to taste. Mix well.
Quick Winter Salad
The sourness of the brine from the kraut makes the salad easy to dress on its own. In most cases, I prepare it using sauerkraut; however, you may substitute fermented radishes or any other simple fermented vegetable that is not very hot. Prepare the apple by cutting it into julienne or paper-thin slices.
Toss with the same quantity of sauerkraut or any other ferment that has been cut or shredded very thinly. That’s already going to be delicious, but if you want to take it to the next level, add a tablespoon’s worth of sunflower seeds.
And to take the salad in a new route, stir in half to one teaspoon of toasted sesame oil (I know it seems like it could be a weird combination, but believe me: It is great). This will take the salad in a different path.
On Your Dog… or Other Delicious Hot Sandwich
The traditional topping for hot dogs is sauerkraut, but you may also use fermented condiments derived from plants other than cabbage in its stead. Additionally, you are free to utilize various cuts of beef (right now I’m picturing pastrami).
There is simply something so satisfying about combining a slice of hot, salty meat with a ferment that is somewhat crunchy, tart, and acidic all at the same time.
However, keep in mind that the nutritional advantages of fermented food are lost when it is cooked.
Instead, add the kraut or any other fermented food just before taking a bite.
How Lacto-Fermentation Safely Preserves Food
