Repollo Curtido Yucateco

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp chef's knife or mandoline for shredding
• •Large pot for blanching
• •Colander
• •Cast iron comal or small dry skillet for toasting oregano
• •Large non-reactive bowl (glass or ceramic, not aluminum)
• •Glass jar with a tight lid for storage

Instructions

1. 1

   Shred the cabbage

   Cut the cabbage in quarters through the core. Cut out the core. Lay each quarter flat and slice across the grain as thinly as you can manage, into long thin ribbons. Thin matters here. Thick shreds stay raw in the brine and the pickle bites back. You want strands that bend, not chunks that crunch like a coleslaw. The señoras in the Mérida markets shred it almost translucent.

   A mandoline gets you there fastest, but a sharp chef's knife and patience works. Do not put cabbage in a food processor. It bruises the leaves and you end up with wet pulp.
2. 2

   Blanch the cabbage

   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the shredded cabbage in. Count to thirty. Drain immediately in a colander and run cold water over it until it stops steaming. Press out the excess water with your hands, firmly, in batches. This is not boiled cabbage. Thirty seconds takes the raw squeak out of the leaf and lets the naranja agria penetrate. Longer than that and you have cooked it. The cabbage should still snap between your teeth.

3. 3

   Toast the oregano

   Heat a dry comal over medium-low. Place the Yucatecan oregano in your palm, smell it once. Scatter it on the comal and shake it for 20 to 30 seconds, just until it darkens a shade and the kitchen smells green and slightly resinous. Tip it into a small bowl. Yucatecan oregano is not Mexican oregano from the north and it is not Mediterranean oregano. The leaf is bigger, the oil is different, the flavor leans toward citrus and pine. If you cannot find it, use Mexican oregano. Mediterranean oregano is the wrong plant for this dish.

   Toasting is the difference between oregano that smells like a spice jar and oregano that smells like a Yucatecan kitchen. Twenty seconds. Do not walk away.
4. 4

   Build the brine

   In a non-reactive bowl, combine the naranja agria juice, vinegar, cold water, smashed garlic, peppercorns, allspice, bay leaves, toasted oregano, salt, and sugar. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Taste it. It should be sharp, faintly sweet at the back, and aromatic. Naranja agria is doing the work that vinegar does in other pickles. If you substituted lime and sweet orange, the brine will taste a little flatter, that is the compromise. Naranja agria has a perfumed bitterness you cannot fake. If you live somewhere with Cuban or Yucatecan grocers, find it. It matters.

5. 5

   Combine and steep

   Add the drained cabbage, sliced red onion, habanero rings, and xkatik (if using) to the brine. Stir with clean hands, lifting from the bottom so every strand gets coated. The onion will start to turn pink within minutes. That is the naranja agria pulling the color out, the same chemistry that gives cebollas moradas their famous rose color. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. Overnight is better. The flavor sharpens as it sits and the cabbage takes on a faint translucence at the edges.

   Leave the habanero seeds in if you want the proper Yucatecan heat. Take them out if you are feeding people who have never met a habanero. Either way, slice the chile with the knife you reserve for chiles. Habanero oil on a tomato is not a happy surprise.
6. 6

   Serve and store

   Transfer to a clean glass jar with a tight lid. The repollo curtido is ready after two hours and at its best between day one and day four. Serve it cold or at room temperature, alongside cochinita pibil, salbutes, panuchos, poc chuc, or papadzules. A spoonful goes on top of the meat. The acid cuts the richness, the habanero opens the palate, the oregano sets the whole thing in Yucatán. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Find naranja agria if you can. Latin grocers with a Cuban or Yucatecan clientele carry it fresh in winter and bottled the rest of the year. The Goya bottled naranja agria is acceptable in a pinch. A blend of lime and sweet orange is the next compromise, in that order.
• •Yucatecan oregano is sold as 'oregano yucateco' or 'oregano de Yucatan' in good Mexican spice shops. Mexican oregano from Oaxaca or Chihuahua is the next best option. Mediterranean oregano is not a substitute. It is a different plant with a different oil and it will make your pickle taste like an Italian sandwich.
• •If you have access to chile xkatik, the pale yellow Yucatecan chile, slice a few rings in with the habanero. It adds a vegetal warmth without more heat. If not, the habanero alone is correct.
• •This pickle keeps in the refrigerator for up to two weeks but it is at its peak between day one and day four. After that the cabbage softens past where you want it and the habanero starts to dominate.

Advance Preparation

• •Make this at least two hours before serving. Overnight is better. The flavor sharpens and the cabbage takes on the brine fully.
• •Stored in a clean glass jar in the refrigerator, the repollo curtido holds for up to two weeks, though it is at its best in the first four days.
• •The brine itself can be mixed one day ahead and refrigerated. Combine with the blanched cabbage and onion the morning of serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 120g)