Pickled Cabbage Rose

Name: Pickled Cabbage Rose (Mzhave Kombosto)
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Cuisine: Georgia
Ingredients: 8 sprigs parsley; One 4-inch piece dried hot red pepper; 10 black peppercorns; 3 ribs celery, including leaves, diced; 1 teaspoon paprika; 6½ cups red wine vinegar; 3 medium raw beets, peeled and diced; 1 small head white cabbage, about 1½ pounds; 7½ cups boiling water

Mzhave Kombosto

Preparation info

Serves
8 to 10

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Georgian Feast

By Darra Goldstein

Published 1999

About

Cabbage is one of the easiest vegetables to pickle at home. A whole head is often soured in vinegar with beets, which tint the pale leaves a deep pink. By turning back each leaf individually before immersing the cabbage in brine, you can form a spectacular “rose” to grace the table on special occasions.

Ingredients

1 small head white cabbage, about 1½ pounds
3 medium raw beets, peeled and diced

Asia
Georgia
Vegan
Spicy
New Year
Gluten-free

Method

Four days before serving, remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and make an X at the base of the core. Place the cabbage in a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer until just tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle.

Place the cabbage on a flat surface. Working carefully with one leaf at a time, bend back each