sauerkraut

spiddy100

We had some lovely sauerkraut pies called pierogi when we were in Seattle (I don't know if they have a big Eastern European community there, but they were sold everywhere). There are versions from Poland, Latvia, Ukraine and elsewhere and loads of recipes online.

Try this one to see if you like the idea

http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Cooking%20by%20Country/Poland%20Speciality%20Dish%20Pierogi.htm

kethry

you can try doing a variation on the dutch recipe for sauerkraut listed above that my (dutch) MIL taught me, a sort of variation on the british cottage pie

get a smoked sausage - one of those big ones that come in the U shape - and cut into slices. Line the base of a casserole dish with the slices. Boil the sauerkraut with a little water for 5-10 minutes, drain, and squeeze the water out. Put on top of the smoked sausage. Then fry up some mince and onions, add whatever else you like (like a basic cottage pie base), like mushrooms, garlic, etc., but don't make it too liquidy. put this ontop of the sauerkraut. Then top the whole thing with mashed potato. Cook in the oven (GM6) for 30 minutes, until the top is just browning.

dish up with some peas. its lovely! real comfort food, especially in grotty weather.

keth
xx

Agutka

You have really given me a craving for the juice now! I would always hang around the kitchen when mum was cooking with sauerkraut and drink the leftover juices... being pregnant maybe I should pour it over ice cream...

Nikki

As a forces child I spent many years living in Germany, at primary school our cooks were german and they used to serve sauerkraut with spag bol. The sauerkraut was made fresh by them and was one of my favourites - I just wish I knew how they made it.

allym316

ooo youve set me off now. I saw some when shopping the other day and OH said how nice it was, but I didnt know what to do with it....

Have just found a website with lots of tempting recipies here http://www.sauerkrautrecipes.com/cat-main.shtml

Hope this helps Im gonna have to go back and buy some now!

celyn90

malamala wrote: »

I love saurkraut too!

Has anybody made their own saurkraut? I bought a bottle from the supermarket but it does not taste as good as the ones I tried in Germany.

Yep, I've made it a couple of times - I think it's great but it takes ages and is a pain to make from scratch so I don't usually bother. OH is German and hates it. It borders on a microbiology practical exam, so please be careful and read up on the relevent food hygiene stuff before you start. I think it's a bit on an inexact science (this is where my in-laws throttle me! :rotfl: ) and takes a while but this is what I do.

Start with a really clean bowl. Shred cabbage and wash it in salty water, then place in the container in layers: cabbage, then salt, then caraway seeds then cabbage again. Make each layer of cabbage about a 1/5th of the depth of the bowl. You need to use lots of salt as you will leave it for ages and although you are fermenting the stuff you need to stop other things growing in it. (I tend to use about 5 - 10 % of the weight of the cabbage in salt, but you might want to check this as I never measure anything other than chilli powder) :rolleyes:

After all of the ingredents are in place, pour in a load of water.
Weight the mixture down - I use a plate smaller than the container and with a rock in plastic bag on the top -- the idea is to keep the
cabbage under the water level and the air out as it's an anaerobic process. Leave it for a week or so - I put it in the fridge - then skim off anything that's collected on top. Then just leave it for a few weeks until it tastes okay - the longer you leave it the sourer it gets (the bacteria you're growing produce lactic acid so the pH drops quite alot and it gets very acidic). Drain off the water and squeeze dry. I tend to freeze it if I make too much rather than bottle it.

There is another way of doing this too, I remember doing it as a microbiology practical in plastic bags at college ages ago... Lab smelt odd for weeks...

malamala

celyn90 wrote: »

Yep, I've made it a couple of times - I think it's great but it takes ages and is a pain to make from scratch so I don't usually bother.

Thanks! I love doing these sorts of things LOL. Has made Korean Kimchee before which is slightly similar as you have to put loads of salt (to preserve it?) but it is different in that in making Korean Kimchee you put chilli, shrimps (I use fish sauce instead) and no water is added to the vegetables.

I'd love to try making sauerkraut soon!

Seakay

http://www.kitchengardeners.org/sauerkraut.html

This link has an explanation of sauerkraut as well as a detailed recipe and links to the similar dishes of different cultures (eg Kimchee)

domino

I have searched the threads but can't seem to find what I am looking for so apologies if the needle is still in the haystack!
Does anyone know how to prepare that yummy cabbage that goes into Kebabs? Its shredded and seems to be in brine? I tried preparing some like this but it didn't turn out the same. I don't think it's pickled cabbage, could it be just very lightly cooked or maybe soaked in brine a lot longer than I did it? Whereas I really like raw cabbage, I would prefer to have the real thing with my kebabs! Any ideas?

Dr_DiNg_DoNg

It has some sort of acidity , maybe diluted lemon juice or diluted white vinegar and seasoning is my guess.