Caraway Sauerkraut Recipes

TRADITIONAL SAUERKRAUT WITH CARAWAY

Steps:

• Weigh the shredded cabbage (as cabbages vary in size and weight) to ensure the salt to cabbage ratio is correct. The amount of salt you use should come to about 1.5-2.5%, but no more than 3%, of the cabbage weight.
• In a large bowl, mix and massage the salt through the cabbage thoroughly, making sure to distribute the salt evenly.
• Let it sit to sweat a bit-maybe 10 minutes. This is simply to make the next step easier. This is a good time to get your vessel cleaned and to rest up for the next stage.
• With your pounder, pound quite energetically for about 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage is dripping with its own salty water when you pick up a handful. This part is important as you need this liquid-it's your brine.
• You can also use the dough hook of a stand mixer to do the pounding part, which can speed things up somewhat. Don't let it run for too long though, only a few minutes. Using a mixer is easy and great for people who are doing this a lot and in large batches, but it takes quite a bit of the emotional release and fun out of it.
• Next, mix in the caraway seeds (if using).
• Put the mixture into the jar, packing it down tightly as you go using the pounder. Push down well, particularly at the end to coax out any more brine. You need the brine to cover the cabbage.
• Don't pack the cabbage all the way to the top; leave some headroom at the top of the jar to allow for a bit of growth and movement and, of course, the weight. You don't want the liquid touching the top of the lid, as it will end up spewing out of your air-lock or up out of your lid.
• Cover with a cabbage leaf (the follower), the weight and then your chosen lid or system.
• Depending on your ferment, you can start trying it as soon as you'd like, but the less you fiddle with it in the first 2 weeks, the better. It is ready when you think it is delicious. With the right system and temperature, you can leave it to ferment for months before refrigeration.
• If you used a crock, you'll need to decant the kraut to smaller jars before you refrigerate, unless you have a walk-in cool room, or large cellar. (Lucky you.) It will keep in the fridge for 12 months or more. Use your senses.

CARAWAY SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• In a 5-qt. Dutch oven, cook bacon and onion for 8-19 minutes or until onion is golden brown. Stir in sauerkraut and caraway. Add water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add potato. Cook for 20 minutes or until potato is tender.

GRILLED SPLIT KIELBASA REUBENS WITH WARM MUSTARD-CARAWAY SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Preheat a griddle pan to medium-high.heat.
• Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the seeds a couple of minutes then stir in sauerkraut, beer or cider, and mustard and simmer 10 minutes.
• Cut kielbasa into 4 portions and split the sausage pieces in half across, opening them up. Grill the sausages on the hot griddle until crispy on both sides, about 7 to 8 minutes total. Wipe some of the grease off the griddle and drop heat to low.
• Lightly butter 1 side of each slice of bread. Build butter-side-out sandwiches of grilled kielbasa, sauerkraut, and 2 slices of cheese; spread the top of each sandwich with red pepper relish before setting in place.
• Grill the sandwiches on the griddle until crispy. Cut and serve.

KIELBASA WITH APPLE CARAWAY SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat, saute kielbasa until browned, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove kielbasa to a plate and keep warm. In the same pan, saute the onion and the apple for 1 minute. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut and add it to the apples and onion in the skillet. Add the chicken stock and caraway seeds to the pan and stir. Return the kielbasa to the skillet and cover. Put covered skillet in hot oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

FARMHOUSE CULTURE'S CLASSIC KRAUT WITH CARAWAY

Steps:

• Combine cabbage, caraway seeds, and 1 tablespoon salt in a large bowl. Let stand for 20 minutes. Massage to release liquid from cabbage (forming a brine), about 5 minutes.
• Pack cabbage mixture into 3 pint-size canning jars, making sure brine covers cabbage by at least 1 inch and leaving 1 to 2 inches of space at the top. Fold and push 1 reserved leaf into each, filling the top space (leaves do not need to be fully submerged).
• Close jars tightly, and transfer to a glass baking dish or a nonreactive container with 2-inch-high sides. Let stand in a cool, dark place (64 degrees to 70 degrees) for 5 days.
• Slowly open and quickly close jars to gently release built-up pressure, being careful not to let the liquid bubble out. Let stand for 5 more days. Reopen jars to release pressure.
• Let stand for 5 more days. Taste to determine if kraut is sour enough. Let stand until kraut is to your liking (we like a 21-day ferment), continuing to open jars every few days to release pressure.

SAUERKRAUT WITH BACON, POTATO AND CARAWAY

Steps:

• Saute bacon until crisp.
• remove bacon to drain, reserving fat in pan.
• saute onion in bacon fat until browned.
• add sauerkraut and saute for 5 minutes; add potato, chicken stock, reserved bacon, black pepper and caraway.
• Bring to a boil and simmer on lowest heat for 20 minutes- stirring frequently, then cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes- stirring every 10 minutes.

BAVARIAN SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Heat bacon drippings in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Place sauerkraut with juice into a large bowl and cover with water. Stir and use your hands to squeeze out as much of the water and juice as possible. Add squeezed sauerkraut to onion.
• Stir brown sugar, caraway seeds, chicken stock, and cooking sherry into the sauerkraut mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

SAUERKRAUT WITH GIN AND CARAWAY

Steps:

• Combine sauerkraut, gin, and caraway seeds in heavy large saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, until gin is reduced by slightly more than half, stirring occasionally (sauerkraut will still be crunchy and gin and caraway flavors will be absorbed), about 30 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted. Serve warm.

SAUERKRAUT WITH CARAWAY

Steps:

• Put sauerkraut, beer, and caraway seeds into a small pot and cook over medium-low heat until bubbling hot.