Angeleno Magazine hosted another packed Live and Dine LA event at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica to celebrate their annual restaurant issue. Beautifully dressed guests mingled outside while sampling creative food bites and cocktails from LA’s most distinguished chefs, restaurants and mixologists. Chef Curtis Stone was hard at work at his station showcasing his restaurant Gwen while making time to snap selfies with fans. We noshed on as many bites as possible but one that really stood out was a crab cake from Salazar. The dessert table from the Belvedere at the Peninsula tantalized guests with exotic bites like a golden egg with a creamy peanut butter and jelly inside. Guests excitedly sampled the best bites in Los Angeles and could also watch culinary demonstrations.

 

 

 

 

KeVita, the leader in fermented, sparkling probiotic and kombucha beverages was the leading sponsor of the day. KeVita kept guests happy with kombucha in various flavors like tart cherry and ginger. They took center stage at Live and Dine LA showcasing the health benefits of fermented food and how easy it is to make delicious, fermented foods at home.

 

 

 

Chef Uri Laio, from Brassica & Brine showed foodies –

How to Make a Five-Step Sauerkraut Recipe

Materials:

• Cutting board
• Knife
• Large bowl
• 32 oz. jar with lid
• Airlock (or home vegetable fermentation kit like RLM Provisions’ Lactofermentation Kit, Pickl-It, Easy Fermenter, Pickle Pipe, etc)

Ingredients:

• One medium to large cabbage (preferably organic and locally grown)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of each spice of your choice. Traditional spices include caraway seed, mustard seed, dill, garlic, bay leaves, and juniper berries.

Prepare:

1. Set aside one full leaf of cabbage, then chop the cabbage in half from top to bottom and cut out the core and discard the core.
2. Shred the cabbage by cutting into thin ribbons or running through a shredding blade on a food processor.
3. Add salt (and optional spices) to the shredded cabbage and knead the salt and shredded cabbage for 1-2 minutes.
4. Let the cabbage sit and “sweat” for about 15-30 minutes (or longer) at room temperature. The salt will draw out a lot of brine and the mix will become noticeably wet.
5. Pack the cabbage mixture into your jar. As you fill in every couple inches, give it a forceful push down with your fist or other tool. Stuff the cabbage with its brine into the jar as tightly as you can, pushing out any air pockets and filling to within an inch of the lid. Place the reserved full leaf of cabbage on top, crumpled up, and then screw the lid on loosely so that pressure can escape during fermentation.

Place your jar on a plate to catch brine which will likely overflow out of the jar as fermentation progresses. Place in a cool place (ideally around  65 – 75 degrees) out of direct sunlight.

Keeping the 5- theme alive, let sit for 5 days to three weeks and move the whole jar to the refrigerator when you decide it’s done. During the first few days, it will bubble and become fragrant, the colors will dull, and the flavor will develop an acidic edge.

This sauerkraut should be fine for at least six months to a year, if not longer. Trust your nose and taste buds.