Marinaded Red Cabbages for Hors-d’œuvre

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large nonreactive glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel bowl
• •Sharp chef’s knife or guarded mandoline
• •Large colander
• •Clean 2-quart glass jar with lid
• •Nonreactive pickling weight, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut a fine julienne

   Remove the loose outer leaves, quarter the cabbage, and cut away the hard core. Slice each quarter across the grain into a fine julienne, a matchstick cut about 1/16 inch or 2 mm wide. Keep the strands even; thick pieces remain obstinately raw while fine ones soften, and salt cannot correct the knife work afterward.

   A sharp chef’s knife gives the best control. A mandoline works too, provided it has a secure hand guard and is adjusted for very fine slices.
2. 2

   Salt for two days

   Put one-third of the cabbage into a large nonreactive bowl, scatter over one-third of the salt, and repeat the layers twice. Toss and squeeze lightly with clean hands until every strand feels faintly damp. Cover and refrigerate for 48 hours, turning the cabbage thoroughly morning and evening so the brine moves through it evenly. If dry, stiff patches remain after the first turn, break them apart and redistribute the wet cabbage around them; add no water.

3. 3

   Drain it thoroughly

   Tip the cabbage into a colander and let it drain for 30 minutes, turning it once and pressing gently so trapped brine escapes. Taste a strand. It should be distinctly seasoned but still pleasant; if it is fiercely salty, rinse it once under very cold water, drain for another 30 minutes, and press it dry between clean towels. Ça se rattrape. Do not soak it, or you will wash away the seasoning the two-day macération built.

4. 4

   Choose the marinade

   For the direct preparation, use the red wine vinegar raw. If you prefer the source’s second option, bring the vinegar just to a boil in a nonreactive saucepan, then cool it completely before it touches the cabbage; warm vinegar softens the julienne. For the book’s separate, fuller variation, omit the measured vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, and bay, then reach for 4 cups of completely cooled Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168). Because that finished marinade is gentler than full-strength vinegar, keep that variation refrigerated, marinate it for one day, and serve it within three days.

5. 5

   Pack and submerge

   Pack the drained cabbage into a clean two-quart glass jar with the crushed garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf distributed through the strands. Pour in enough raw or completely cooled vinegar to cover every piece, pressing the cabbage beneath the surface with a clean spoon. If the measured vinegar falls short, add more of the same full-strength vinegar, never water. A smaller jar or a nonreactive pickling weight will rescue cabbage that keeps rising above the liquid.

6. 6

   Marinate until lively

   Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours, turning the closed jar once or twice so the aromatics circulate. The chou rouge mariné is ready when the strands remain crisp but bend without stiffness, the color has deepened to bright garnet, and the vinegar tastes seasoned rather than merely sharp.

7. 7

   Serve it cold

   Lift out only what you need with a clean fork and let the excess vinegar fall back into the jar. Serve the chou rouge mariné as a small hors-d’œuvre or beside boiled beef, especially pot-au-feu, where its acidity cuts through the rich broth-softened meat. Keep the remaining cabbage submerged and cold. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a compact cabbage that feels heavy for its size, with crisp leaves and no soft patches. The everyday winter head is exactly right; tired cabbage belongs in a cooked dish.
• •Use a wine vinegar labeled at 5% acidity. Full-strength vinegar and refrigeration make this a refrigerator pickle, not a shelf-stable preserve, so do not store or can it at room temperature.
• •The finer and more even the julienne, the more evenly the cabbage salts. Cooking well is not cooking fancy, but the knife work matters here.
• •The primary vinegar version keeps well refrigerated for about three weeks if the cabbage remains submerged and every serving utensil is clean. Discard it if mold, active bubbling, or an unpleasant odor develops.

Advance Preparation

• •Begin four days before serving for the fullest flavor: allow two days for the salted macération and two more days in vinegar.
• •For a shorter schedule, keep the full two-day salting period and reduce only the final vinegar rest to 24 hours. The macération is the structure of the dish and cannot be hurried.
• •The finished cabbage can be portioned into smaller clean jars once marinated, provided every strand remains covered by vinegar and refrigerated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 120g)