Mothers Austrian Style Wine Sauerkraut Recipes

MOTHER'S AUSTRIAN-STYLE WINE SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Chop peeled apple into roughly bite sized cubes; set aside.
• Chop onion; set aside.
• Measure out butter or margarine, sugar, caraway seed and wine and have ready in separate containers to add at appropriate time.
• In large, deep skillet, melt butter over medium heat. When heated add caraway seed and onion. Sauté three to four minutes until onion starts to get translucent.
• Add apple cubes in with onion and butter and caraway. Cover frying pan and with heat between medium and high, let the apple and onion caramelize for about five minutes or however long it takes to see the onion and apple start to brown. The heat will also bring out the flavor of the caraway seed.
• When onion and apple have become soft and starting to brown, add sugar and mix onion and apple and sugar until they are evenly
• mixed. Let sauté another minute to get the sugar into the other ingredients.
• Add the sauerkraut and with cooking tongs and a spoon, gently toss sauerkraut in the butter, fruit and onions and caraway seed mixture until it is evenly distributed and coated.
• Deglaze with white wine and again stir around until it is all mixed.
• Cover the skillet, reduce to simmer and let the sauerkraut steam for another 10-15 minutes on simmer, letting the flavors thoroughly blend.
• Adjust for balance between sweet and sour. If too sweet, add a bit of sauerkraut juice and stir it inches If too sour, add a bit more sugar to a ½ cup of hot water and dissolve, mixing that into kraut.
• Cover and let sauerkraut simmer a few minutes more to let it blend.
• **Note: if you want you can fry bacon in small strips until crisp. Retain 3;8 cup of bacon fat and use instead of margarine (as per recipe above). You can then cook the sauerkraut, onion, apples and caraway seed in bacon fat then follow the other steps of the recipe same as above.
• Crumble the bacon into the sauerkraut at the last minute before serving and toss.

RIESLING-BRAISED SAUERKRAUT AND APPLES

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).

SAUERKRAUT, CROATIAN WAY

Steps:

• Put fat and sugar in a pot and melt sugar until it becomes brown.
• Add sauerkraut, wine, bay leaf, juniper berries, caraway seeds, finely sliced bacon and pepper.
• Cook at first covered 10 minutes and than uncovered another 15 minutes.Sauerkraut must be transparent and soft. Do not overcook it.
• Excellent with sausages, pork chops, pork legs, etc.