Express sauerkraut


Express sauerkraut
Sauerkraut (choucroute in French) is a traditional Alsatian recipe. It consists of fermented cabbage slowly cooked with white wine, potatoes and a variety of salted pork meats. This is a simplified and fairly quick version.
369 K 3.8/5 (48 reviews)
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Last modified on: February 21th 2011
For 12 people, you will need:

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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 45 min.
Cooking: 1 hour 45 min.
All in all: 2 hours 25 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 5 min.
Express sauerkraut
Peel and chop 2 onions.

Stage 2 - 20 min.
Express sauerkraut
Peel and wash medium size 1 litre potatoes.

If they are too big, cut into 2 or 4, it's important that they are of similar size for even cooking.

Stage 3 - 5 min.
Express sauerkraut
Cut 500 ml smoked pork belly (or thick cut streaky bacon) and 500 ml pork shoulder into fairly large pieces.

Melt 6 tablespoons goose fat in a large pan on high heat fire, and when lightly smoking add pieces of meat.

Stage 4 - 10 min.
Express sauerkraut
Brown all over. This is not to cook the meat, so it only takes 1 or 2 minutes each side.

When meat is browned, remove from pan and leave on a plate.

If you have a lot of meat, do this in stages.

Stage 5 - 1 min.
Express sauerkraut
When all the meat is removed, add chopped onion, salt, pepper and mix well.

Stage 6 - 2 min.
Express sauerkraut
Cook onion gently on its own for 2 minutes without letting it colour (it should not fry).

Stage 7 - 1 min.
Express sauerkraut
Add 1 litre raw sauerkraut, stir well.

Stage 8 - 5 min.
Express sauerkraut
Pour in 2 glasses dry white wine, if possible a wine from Alsace like Sylvaner or Riesling, stir again.

Stage 9 - 30 min.
Express sauerkraut
Put meat on top and 2 Morteaux sausage that has been pricked all over with a sharp knife. Turn heat to low, cover, and leave to cook for 30 minutes (or more).

Stage 10 - 1 hour
Express sauerkraut
After this time, remove meat and sausage, add juice of 1 lemon, mix well, add potatoes, and put meat and sausage back in.

Leave to cook 30 minutes covered, then 30 more minutes uncovered. Check if potatoes are done: a knife should go through easily.

Stage 11 - 5 min.
Express sauerkraut
Choucroute should be served at the table: the whole dish is put in the centre of the table; one of the guests cuts the sausage into thick slices, then everyone serves himself and can come back for more.
Remarks
Sauerkraut is one of those amazing dishes that can be reheated any number of times, each time tasting even better. The very best, in my opinion, is when the cabbage starts to brown a little and caramalise - a real treat.

you can adapt the recipe to your taste, or what you have available. However, it's a worth including at least one piece of smoked pork; the taste is so different, and so good!

As for wine, I would insist a dry white is best. I'm not a fan of Gewurztraminer, which seems too aromatic and sweet for this dish, but it's a matter of personal taste.

Of course this is not "the" Alsatian sauerkraut recipe, so no need to send in barbed comments on the subject...
And to drink?
An Alastian wine of course, otherwise a dry white.

Why not drink the same one you use in the recipe?

Or a good beer?
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, covered by a plastic film.
Source: Home made, but this recipe is dedicated to my great aunts Marthe and Suzanne from Guebwiller where I ate my first Alsatian choucroute a long long time ago...
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe300 RDI=110 %290 RDI=30 %550 RDI=80 %7,250 RDI=360 %30,350 RDI: 360 %
Per 100 g6 RDI=3 %6 RDI=1 %10 RDI=2 %170 RDI=8 %700 RDI: 8 %
Per person20 RDI=9 %20 RDI=2 %50 RDI=7 %600 RDI=30 %2,530 RDI: 30 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Sulfites
How much will it cost?
  • For 12 people : 22.05 €
  • Per person : 1.85 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Raw sauerkraut
Raw sauerkraut

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Pork shoulder
Pork shoulder

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Smoked pork belly (or thick cut streaky bacon)
Smoked pork belly (or thick cut streaky bacon)

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The 1 comment already posted on this recipe
  • Pork with Sauerkraut is often an overlooked marriage. I happen to think it should be brought to the head of the table once again. I like the addition of Riesling and lemon juice. I usually add apple juice and apples...
    Posted by Louise june 1st 2009 at 22:36 n° 1

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