Choucroute Au Champagne Recipes

CHOUCROUTE GARNI

Steps:

• In a 24-quart pot with a lid, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent. Add sauerkraut, and stir to combine; transfer half of the mixture to a large bowl.
• Place pork loin, pork belly, pork butt, and both bacons in pot; top with reserved sauerkraut mixture. Place cloves, bay leaves, juniper berries, and cumin in a piece of cheesecloth; tie with a piece of kitchen twine to enclose. Add to pot along with wine, and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer and cover; cook until meats are cooked through and tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Add all sausages to pot, and cook until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Generously salt water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Drain.
• To serve, place mound of sauerkraut in the center of a large platter. Slice meats and add to platter along with potatoes; garnish with parsley and serve with mustards.

CHOUCROUTE GARNI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large flameproof casserole dish or heavy-based pan. Fry the onions for 10-15 mins until soft. Add the wine and vinegar, along with the herbs and spices, and reduce to a glaze.
• Add the carrots, celery and garlic to the pan, mix well, then lay the wedges of cabbage on top. Snuggle the sausages and bacon between the cabbage chunks before pouring over the stock. Put the pan on the heat, bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 1 hr 30 mins, stirring halfway through.
• Once cooked, serve in bowls with mashed potato, if you like.

CHOUCROUTE AU CHAMPAGNE

Steps:

• Line a deep kettle with slices of salt pork, add the sliced onions and chopped garlic. Put the sauerkraut on top with a large piece of salt pork and grind plenty of pepper over it. Add just enough champagne or white wine to cover the sauerkraut. Simmer on top of the stove or in a 300°F oven for 4 to 6 hours. The longer it cooks, the better it will be.
• Smoked pork loin is a natural accompaniment for choucroute. Roast it for 10 to 15 minutes per pound or until thoroughly heated through. Bratwurst, vaurenwurst, knockwurst, and good well seasoned frankfurters are also tasty additions. Use any or all these meats. To serve, heap the choucroute in the middle of a platter and arrange slices of meat around it.
• If the sauerkraut was cooked in white wine, place half a bottle or two splits of champagne in the center of the sauerkraut. At the table, give the bottle a good shake and remove corks so the champagne gushes out over the sauerkraut. Serve with plain boiled potatoes. With this, drink champagne or Riesling.

CHOUCROUTE GARNI

Steps:

• Immerse the sauerkraut in a large bowl filled with cold water, and soak for 15 minutes.
• While sauerkraut is soaking, place the chopped bacon and the optional bacon rind in a heavy, oven proof pot over high heat. Saute for 1 minute. Turn heat to medium-low, add the garlic and saute for another minute.
• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Squeeze the sauerkraut dry, reserving 1 cup of the soaking water and add the sauerkraut to the pot. Stir well to blend with bacon. Add the reserved cup of soaking water, the white wine, the juniper berries, the peppercorns and the cloves. Bring to boil on top of stove and boil until the liquid has almost evaporated (about 20-30 minutes).
• Imbed the meats in the sauerkraut, cover the pot and cook in the oven until the meats are hot, about 30 minutes. Serve on a large platter.

ALSATIAN CHOUCROUTE GARNI

Steps:

• Make a spice bundle: Place spices, bay leaves, and garlic on a square of cheesecloth; tie into bundle with kitchen twine.
• Heat oil in a very large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add bacon, pork butt, and spice bundle. Cover with sauerkraut. Add wine and enough water to come 1 inch below sauerkraut. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer 45 minutes.
• Add potatoes and carrots. Cover; cook until almost tender, about 20 minutes.
• Using a skewer or the tip of a paring knife, poke a few holes into each sausage to prevent them from bursting. Place kielbasa in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, turning often, until browned, about 8 minutes. Put all sausages into the Dutch oven; cover, and cook until heated through, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausages and vegetables to a plate. Drain sauerkraut, and arrange on a serving platter. Arrange sausages and vegetables on top. Garnish with parsley, and serve with mustards.

CLASSIC CHOUCROUTE

Steps:

• Boil ham hocks in unsalted water until tender, at least 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, wash sauerkraut in cold water; drain. Wash again, in hot water; drain and squeeze dry.
• In a heavy, ovenproof pot, melt 3 tablespoons of the fat over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook it until soft and tender; do not brown. Add wine and 1 cup water, then bacon. Cover,and cook 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Season sauerkraut with pepper and a tiny bit of salt; add to pot,covering bacon. Combine garlic, juniper berries, caraway and bay leaf in cheesecloth and tie into a sachet. Bury this in the sauerkraut. Lay a circle of parchment paper directly over sauerkraut, cover, bring to a boil, transfer to oven and bake 1 hour.
• Add pork loin, top with potatoes, and return to oven for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
• About 15 minutes before potatoes are done,add bratwursts and frankfurters to the pot with hocks. Reduce heat to simmer, and heat through. Heat remaining fat in a skillet, and carefully brown blood sausages (they burst if overcooked).
• Add kirsch to sauerkraut; taste and add salt if necessary. Discard herb sachet.
• To serve, slice bacon and pork loin.Cut sausages and hocks into pieces. Put sauerkraut on large platter with meats and potatoes on top and around it. Serve with hot mustard and beer or white Alsatian wine.