Nothing compares to homemade sauerkraut
How do you throw a party for someone moving to Germany?
In devising a buffet dinner menu for 14, my wife requested the sauerkraut that I started about a month ago. After all, how many people get to taste homemade ‘kraut at a going away party?
The rest of the menu was also genius: for hors d’oeuvres, lentil soup served in tall, ceramic shot glasses and potato pancakes with sour cream and apple sauce. For the entree, we grilled fresh bratwursts from Whole Foods and served them with my homemade sauerkraut (cooked with sauteed onions, juniper berries, caraway seeds), red cabbage brainsed with red wine, cinnamon and orange liqueur, freshly made spaetzle, celery root and apple salad, and asparagus. My wife got on her creative high horse for dessert: she made ”chocolate pretzels” decorated with Swedish sugar crystals, and something she called “red porridge” with currants and strawberries served with heavy cream.
Guests washed it all down with a “half-sweet” German Riesling wine. From what I understand, it was a huge hit.
We are engaging the concerns of a hungry planet--slowly--right here in our kitchen garden in the District of Columbia, about a mile from the White House.
the ‘kraut looks wonderful! is the recipe around the site? i have yet to find one i like, but yours sounds a winner & i would like to try it! thanks.
I’ve posted my formula for making saukraut many times on the site. You can find it using the search feature. This particular kraut was about a month old–pretty fresh, by my standards–when I removed it from its crock and put it in the fridge. To cook it, I sweated two onion, cut into thin strips, in bacon grease in a large, heavy pot, then added about 2 quarts of kraut, plus a half-dozen juniper berries and a scant teaspoon of caraway seeds, maybe a half cup of white wine. Then just simmer till it’s done to your liking, maybe 45 minutes.