Choucroute Porkette Recipes

CHOUCROUTE 'PORKETTE'

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rinse the sauerkraut 3 times in cold running water. Drain well and set aside.
• In an enameled cast-iron pot, heat the duck fat over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, then add the onions, thyme, juniper berries, bay leaves, caraway seeds, cloves and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sweat the onions until they are translucent, not brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside.
• Deglaze the pan with wine and reduce until nearly evaporated. Add the chicken stock, a pinch of salt and pepper and the sauerkraut. Bring to a simmer. Top with the bacon. Cover and place in the oven. After 1 1/2 hours, place the Porkette on top of the choucroute. Cover and return to the oven for about 1 hour more. Check the liquid; there should not be too much left. If needed, add a little water.
• Slice the Porkette into 1/4 -inch slices and place over spoonfuls of the choucroute and bacon. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with crusty bread and mustard.

CHOUCROUTE GARNIE

Steps:

• Place ham hocks in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Transfer hocks to medium bowl. Boil broth until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Place hock meat in medium bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover hock meat and broth separately; chill.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bratwurst and bacon. Sauté until bacon is crisp and bratwurst is brown, about 10 minutes. Place in bowl with hock meat.
• Add onions, spices and bay leaves to same pot. Sauté until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add apples; sauté 2 minutes. Mix in sauerkraut. Add all meats; press to submerge. Add reserved broth and wine. Boil 10 minutes. Cover choucroute and bake 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, cook potatoes in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 18 minutes. Drain; cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half. Dip cut sides into parsley. Arrange sauerkraut and meats on platter. Surround with potatoes. Serve with mustards and horseradish.

CHOUCROUTE ROYALE (BRAISED SAUERKRAUT)

Steps:

• Drain the sauerkraut and soak in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes. Taking it by small handfuls, squeeze out as much water as you can. Pick it apart to separate the strands.
• Remove the rind and slice the bacon into 1/2 inch cubes about 2 inches long. Simmer it in 1 quart of water for 10 minutes and drain.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Cook bacon, carrots, and onions in butter slowly in the covered casserole for 10 minutes without browning. Stir in the sauerkraut and when itis well covered with the fat and vegetables, cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes more.
• Bury the herbs and spices in the saurkraut. Pour in the wine, and enough stock to just cover the sauerkraut. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Lay a buttered round of wax paper on top of sauerkraut. Cover and set in the middle of preheated oven. Simmer slowly for 3 1/2 hours.
• Brown assorted meats in skillet. Bury them in the casserole while the sauerkraut is still braising.
• Continue to simmer in oven for another 1 1/2hours. (5 hours total).

CHOUCROUTE PORKETTE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rinse the sauerkraut 3 times in cold running water. Drain well and set aside. 2. In an enameled cast-iron pot, heat the duck fat over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, then add the onions, thyme, juniper berries, bay leaves, caraway seeds, cloves and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sweat the onions until they are translucent, not brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside. 3. Deglaze the pan with wine and reduce until nearly evaporated. Add the chicken stock, a pinch of salt and pepper and the sauerkraut. Bring to a simmer. Top with the bacon. Cover and place in the oven. After 1 ½ hours, place the Porkette on top of the choucroute. Cover and return to the oven for about 1 hour more. Check the liquid; there should not be too much left. If needed, add a little water. 4. Slice the Porkette into ¼ -inch slices and place over spoonfuls of the choucroute and bacon. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with crusty bread and mustard. Serves 8. Adapted from Adam Perry Lang.