Wine Sauerkraut Recipes

EASY HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Mix cabbage, onion, sea salt, and garlic together in a bowl. Firmly pack mixture into a large, clean, food-grade plastic bucket. The cabbage will start to make its own brine as the salt starts to draw out the water of the cabbage.
• Fill a large, clean, food-grade plastic bag with water and place over the salted cabbage mixture so none of the cabbage is exposed to air.
• Allow cabbage to ferment in a cool, dry place, 1 to 4 weeks (depending on how tangy you like your sauerkraut). The temperature of the room you ferment the sauerkraut in should not rise above 70 degrees F (21 degrees C).

HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Combine water, 1/2 of the vinegar, and onion in a pot over high heat; add cabbage, sea salt, celery seed, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Pour the remaining vinegar over cabbage mixture. Cover pot and bring water to a boil; cook mixture for about 3 minutes.
• Stir cabbage mixture and return lid to pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender and wilted, 10 to 15 minutes more.

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.

UNCLE BILL'S SAUERKRAUT WITH WINE

Steps:

• Break away any bad outside leaves and discard.
• Rinse cabbage under cold running water.
• Cut cabbage heads into quarters.
• Do not use cores, discard them after shredding.
• Finely shred cabbage or slice with a good sharp knife.
• In a large crock, layer with 2 inches of shredded cabbage.
• Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of pickling salt.
• Place sliced pieces of one red pepper over.
• Repeat layering until all cabbage, salt and red pepper are used up.
• There should be about 4 layers.
• Pour water over cabbage.
• Now pour the wine over cabbage.
• Place a large plate to cover most of the top surface of the cabbage.
• Place a 4 to 5 pound clean rock (cleaned and washed and soaked in white vinegar) on top of the plate as a weight.
• If liquid does not come to the surface, just add a bit more cold water (or wine if you prefer.) Cover top with several layers of cheesecloth and tie with a good string so the cloth does not fall off.
• Leave cabbage to ferment for 2 to 3 weeks in a warm area (70 F to 75 F) or until it starts to foam around the edges of the plate.
• Move the crock to a cooler area (about 60 F to 65 F) and continue to ferment for another 2 weeks.
• At this time, taste to see if the sauerkraut is curing.
• When it suits your taste, pack the sauerkraut and some liquid into 12 sterilized quart size jars leaving a 1/2" head space.
• Wipe jar rims clean.
• Prepare and place lids according to manufacturers instructions.
• Place screw lids on just finger tight.
• Process in boiling water in a canner for 25 minutes.
• Remove jars and allow to cool for 12 hours.
• Check to see if all jars are sealed.
• Lids should be concave (curved down).
• Re-process jars that are not sealed, but remember to change with new lids.
• Store in a cool, dark place.

HOW TO MAKE SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Weigh your cabbage to see how much salt you should use.Remove the outer leaves of your cabbage and any that are damaged. Discard. Cut out the core and rinse the cabbage well, allowing the water to flow between the cabbage leaves. Drain well.Reserve 1 outer leaf. Thinly shred the remaining cabbage with a knife or food processor. Place in a large bowl. Sprinkle the calculated amount of salt over the cabbage and toss well. Let sit for 15 minutes. Massage the cabbage with your hands for 5 minutes. The cabbage should release a good amount of liquid during this time.Pack the cabbage firmly into a very clean glass quart jar. Pour the liquid that was released during kneading on top. Cut a circle the same diameter as your jar out of the reserved cabbage leaf. Place it on top of the packed-down cabbage. Place a weight on top of the cabbage to ensure that it stays under the brine. If the brine doesn't completely cover the cabbage and weight, top off with a 2% solution of salt water (1 teaspoon salt per cup of water).Screw a plastic lid onto the jar. Place the jar in a rimmed pan (to catch any overflow) and allow to ferment at room temperature until the kraut is as sour as you like it. This can take anywhere from 1-4 weeks.After it's done fermenting, store the sauerkraut in the refrigerator.

HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Quarter cabbages and remove cores; slice 1/8 in. thick. In an extra-large bowl, combine salt and cabbage. With clean hands, squeeze cabbage until it wilts and releases liquid, about 10 minutes. If desired, add optional ingredients., Firmly pack cabbage mixture into 4-quart fermenting crock or large glass container, removing as many air bubbles as possible. If cabbage mixture is not covered by 1-2 inches of liquid, make enough brine to cover by 1-2 inches. To make brine, combine 4-1/2 teaspoons canning salt per 1 quart of water in a saucepan; bring to a boil until salt is dissolved. Cool brine before adding to crock., Place crock weight over cabbage; the weight should be submerged in the brine. Or, place an inverted dinner plate or glass pie plate over cabbage. The plate should be slightly smaller than the container opening, but large enough to cover most of the shredded cabbage mixture. Weigh down the plate with 2 or 3 sealed quart jars filled with water. If using a glass container with a lid, cover the opening loosely so any gas produced by the fermenting cabbage can escape. Alternately, you can cover the opening with a clean, heavy towel. If using a crock, seal according to manufacturer's instructions. , Store crock, undisturbed, at 70°-75° for 3-4 weeks (bubbles will form and aroma will change). Cabbage must be kept submerged below surface of the fermenting liquid throughout fermentation. Check crock 2-3 times each week; skim and remove any scum that may form on top of liquid. Fermentation is complete when bubbling stops. Transfer to individual containers. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

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).