Curtido

• 1–2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 heads (about 6 pounds) cabbage
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon chile pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
• 2½ tablespoons unrefined sea salt

Equipment:

• Fermentation vessel, 1 gallon or larger

Preparation:

1. To prepare the cabbage, remove the coarse outer leaves. Rinse a few unblemished ones and set them aside. Rinse the rest of the cabbage in cold water. With a stainless steel knife, quarter and core the cabbage. Thinly slice with the same knife or a mandoline, then transfer the cabbage to a large bowl.
2. Add the carrot, onion, garlic, oregano, chilli/chile flakes, and cumin to the shredded cabbage.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt and work it into the vegetables. Check the seasoning level for saltiness. You should be able to taste the salt without it being too salty. Add more if necessary. The cabbage will soon look wet and limp, and liquid will begin to pool. Let it stand, covered, for 45 minutes, then massage again.
4. Transfer the vegetables to your fermentation vessel, a few handfuls at a time, pressing down on the cabbage with your fist or a tamper to work out air pockets. You should see some brine on top of the vegetables when you press. Leave 4 inches of headspace for a crock, or 2 to 3 inches for a jar. Top the vegetables with one or two of the reserved outer cabbage leaves. Then, for a crock, top the leaves with a plate that fits the opening of the container and covers as much of the vegetables as possible; weight down with a sealed, water-filled jar. For a jar, use a sealed, water-filled jar or ziplock bag as a follower-weight combination.
5. Set aside the jar or crock on a baking sheet to ferment, somewhere nearby, out of direct sunlight, and cool, for 4 to 14 days. Check daily to make sure the vegetables are submerged, pressing down as needed.
6. Test the curtido on day 4. It’s ready when a pleasingly sour and pickle taste is present but without the strong acidity of vinegar; the cabbage will have softened a little but should retain some crunch. The cabbage is more yellow than green and slightly translucent, as if it’s been cooked.
7. Ladle the curtido into smaller jars and tamp down. Pour in any brine that’s left. Tighten the lids, then store in the refrigerator. This curtido will keep, refrigerated, for 1 year.