Braised Sauerkraut Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the sausages all over, in batches if necessary, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove to a plate as they brown. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add the sauerkraut and toss to combine with the onions. Add the thyme, coriander and allspice and stir to combine. Season with pepper. Pour in the cider and reduce by half. Add the stock and brown sugar and return to a simmer. Tuck the sausages back into the pot and simmer, uncovered, until the kraut is very tender and the sauce is flavorful and slightly reduced, 25 to 30 minutes. Season with salt, if needed.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, add the butter and swirl to melt and combine. Serve topped with the parsley.
• Remove any loose leaves from the cabbage head and reserve. Quarter the cabbage and thinly slice, on a mandoline if you have one. (The shreds should be about the thickness of a quarter.) Toss the cabbage in a large bowl with the pickling salt. Work the cabbage through your hands and massage for a minute or two, until the cabbage begins to "sweat" and release some water.
• Thinly slice, then julienne the green apple, leaving the peel on. (Again, use a mandoline if you have one.) Slice the ginger into coins and press with the side of your knife to bruise them slightly and release their oils. Add the apples, ginger and allspice berries to the cabbage and toss well. Let sit for an hour or two, until the cabbage has released quite a bit of water.
• Pack the cabbage mixture into a large, wide-mouthed crock and press down very firmly until the liquid the cabbage has released covers it. (Depending on the age of your cabbage, it may release less water; a fresher cabbage will release a lot of water, while a cabbage that has been stored all winter will release less.) If the cabbage is not covered, mix together 1 quart cold water and 4 1/2 teaspoons pickling salt until dissolved and pour over enough to cover the cabbage.
• Use a couple of the reserved whole cabbage leaves to cover the surface of the cabbage. Cover with a plate (or the weight provided, if you have a fermenting crock) and set something heavy on top to weight it. (You can use cans. Many people like to use a resealable plastic bag filled with the same salted water solution used above because it weights evenly and if it leaks, it doesn't ruin the fermentation process.) Store the crock in a cool, dry place.
• Check the kraut after 2 days. There should be a few bubbles around the sides. Skim any scum that has risen to the surface. Check the kraut every few days and repeat skimming, if needed. Depending on the temperature of your room, the kraut should be ready after about a week. (Some people ferment for a couple of weeks or more, depending on how funky they want their kraut to be.)
• Divide the kraut and pack into jars. Store in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse the kraut well (discarding any ginger pieces) before using.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the sauerkraut in a colander and rinse briefly to remove some of the salt from the brine-don't rinse it too much, or you will lose a lot of the flavor. (Alternatively, if the sauerkraut is not excessively salty, use as is.) Press to release most of the excess liquid and set aside. In a large nonreactive skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook until most of the fat is rendered, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and continue to cook until they are soft but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon-onion mixture to a nonreactive roasting pan or large ovenproof Dutch oven. Add the drained sauerkraut and toss to combine. Using a small piece of cheesecloth, make a bouquet garni with the thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper berries, and garlic and place in the baking dish. Add the ham hocks, chicken stock, and beer and stir to combine. Cover the casserole and bake, undisturbed, until ham hocks are mostly tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over high heat and brown the sausages on both sides. Set aside. Brown the pork chops and set aside.
• When the hocks are mostly tender, remove the casserole from the oven. Place the sausages on top of the sauerkraut. If the liquid has reduced to less than 2/3, add a bit more water. Cover the casserole and return it to the oven. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the sausages are tender and heated through. Add the pork chops and press them into the sauerkraut. Cover and return to the oven and cook until pork chops are heated through and tender, about 30 minutes longer. Remove the casserole from the oven and discard the bouquet garni. Serve immediately, with each person receiving some of each of the sausages, part of a hock, part of a pork chop and some of the sauerkraut. Pass the mustard at the table.

Steps:

• Drain the sauerkraut and soak in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes. Taking it by small handfuls, squeeze out as much water as you can. Pick it apart to separate the strands.
• Remove the rind and slice the bacon into 1/2 inch cubes about 2 inches long. Simmer it in 1 quart of water for 10 minutes and drain.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Cook bacon, carrots, and onions in butter slowly in the covered casserole for 10 minutes without browning. Stir in the sauerkraut and when itis well covered with the fat and vegetables, cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes more.
• Bury the herbs and spices in the saurkraut. Pour in the wine, and enough stock to just cover the sauerkraut. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Lay a buttered round of wax paper on top of sauerkraut. Cover and set in the middle of preheated oven. Simmer slowly for 3 1/2 hours.
• Brown assorted meats in skillet. Bury them in the casserole while the sauerkraut is still braising.
• Continue to simmer in oven for another 1 1/2hours. (5 hours total).

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season chicken on all sides with salt. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; swirl in oil. Add chicken and cook until browned, about 4 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate.
• Add onion to skillet. Cook, scraping up browned bits, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in carrots and sauerkraut until well combined.
• Transfer sauerkraut mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Nestle chicken legs in mixture, cover with parchment-lined foil, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to 425 degrees, and bake until top is lightly caramelized and a thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken legs (without touching bone) registers 165 degrees, about 10 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prick the duck all over with a fork, then sprinkle it with salt and pepper and place it in a large, deep, ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven. Roast the duck for about 1 1/2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure it is browning steadily. (If the duck is barely browning, increase the heat by 50 degrees; if it seems to be browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly.) When it is nicely browned and has rendered a great deal of fat, pour off all but a few tablespoons of the fat and transfer the pan to the top of the stove.
• Scatter the sauerkraut around the duck, then sprinkle it with paprika, moisten it with the wine, and tuck the bay leaves in. Turn the heat to low, and cover the pan. Simmer for about 15 minutes, then stir and put some of the sauerkraut on top of the duck.
• Cook another 15 minutes or so, until the duck is quite tender. Carve and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prick the duck all over with a fork, then sprinkle it with salt and pepper and put it in a large, deep ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven that can later be covered. Roast the duck, checking occasionally to make sure it is browning steadily, for about 1 1/2 hours. (If the duck is barely browning, increase the heat by 50 degrees; if it seems to be browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly.) At that point it will be nicely browned and will have rendered a great deal of fat; pour off all but a few tablespoons of the fat and transfer the pan to the top of the stove. Don't worry if the duck does not appear to be fully cooked.
• Scatter the sauerkraut around the duck, then sprinkle it with paprika, moisten it with the wine, and tuck the bay leaves in there. Turn the heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes, then stir and put some of the sauerkraut on top of the duck.
• Cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the duck is quite tender. Carve and serve.
• Variations
• As everyone knows from sad experience, a single duck provides skimpy servings for four people. You can make up for this with side dishes, but there are other solutions as well:
• Braise a piece of slab bacon and/or smoked or fresh pork along with the duck, after adding the sauerkraut; you'll have to increase the cooking time a bit.
• Peel and cut up some potatoes (or carrots, parsnips, or turnips) and cook them along with the duck and sauerkraut.
• Finally, you can simply cook more duck-start with 2 ducks or use a couple of duck legs or, best of all, sear a duck breast and serve the slices separately.

Steps:

• Cover sauerkraut with cold water by 1 inch in a large bowl and soak 5 minutes, then drain in a colander. Repeat soaking and draining once more, pressing on sauerkraut.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Peel and core apples and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Cook shallot and onion in butter in a 4- to 5-quart pot over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add apples, bacon, wine, broth, thyme, juniper berries, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer, then stir in sauerkraut. Cover pot with foil, then lid, and braise in middle of oven until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaf.
• Meanwhile, simmer cream and schnapps in a 2-quart saucepan until reduced to about 1 cup, about 40 minutes.
• Add cream mixture, salt, and pepper to sauerkraut and stir well.
• Available at many supermarkets and Penzeys Spices (800-741-7787).

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Melt butter in a heavy casserole. Add mushrooms and saute over high heat until mushrooms begin to brown.
• Lower heat to medium, stir in onion and garlic and saute until they are tender. Add cabbage, sauerkraut, chicken broth and wine. Mix to distribute the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add bay leaf, cover and place in preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours until virtually all liquid in pan has been absorbed. Remove bay leaf. Check seasonings.
• Serve directly from the casserole or transfer to a serving dish. Sour cream sprinkled with poppy seeds should be served alongside.