Sauerkraut with Apples & Wine

(click to enlarge)	Sauerkraut with Apples & Wine Germany - Sauerkraut und Apfel n Weisswein
	Serves: Effort: Sched: DoAhead:	8 side ** 1 hr Yes		Germans love sauerkraut, and this is a way it is often prepared, with the sharpness of the sauerkraut tempered by the sweetness of apples. Every cook has his/her own variations, some of which are listed below. I like the recipe plain with separately simmered knockwurst or bratwurst. For a recipe better suited to beef or veal, see Sauerkraut with Apples.

*
*
*
*
*
*
*

2
1-1/2
6
1/4
3
2-1/2
2-1/2

#
#

t

c
c

Sauerkraut (1)
Apples (2)
Juniper Berries
Caraway seed (opt)
Bay Leaves
Wine, white (3)
Water
Options (6)

Prep

Drain SAUERKRAUT, but not too well. If strands are long and tangled, place it on the cutting board and make a few slices through it at right angles.
Peel APPLES, core and quarter, then slice the quarters about 1/8 inch crosswise. Keep in a bowl of cold water until needed.

Run

In a non-reactive saucepan place All * Items, bring to a boil and turn down to a slow simmer. Cooking time will depend on how tender you want your sauerkraut: 3/4 hr to 1-3/4 hr (See Note-4).
Turn the heat up and stir often until liquid is reduced to the degree you want.
Adjust to suite. Add salt if needed (probably not). If too tart mix in a little superfine sugar, but this also should not be necessary.
Serve hot with pork or sausages (Note-5).

NOTES:

Sauerkraut: Much depends on the quality of the sauerkraut. Fortunately very good sauerkraut from Poland is now widely available in North American. I formerly used a lot of Meeter's Wisconsin Kraut (Stokely), but it seems to have disappeared. Claussen's is good but costly, and Trader Joe's (if they still sell it) is really bad. For details see my Sauerkraut page.
Apples: A fairly sweet apple is good here, Fuji or similar.
Wine: Of course a German wine like Reisling would be appropriate, but others are usable if not too dry.
Cooking Time: The Germans like their sauerkraut very tender so they would cook the full time. Personally I tend toward the minimum, but then I'm Polish / Lithuanian, not German.
Sausages: These are usually simmered or fried separately and served whole over the kraut. For a buffet dish you can instead cut them up into pieces and mix in just before serving. Bockwurst or Knackwurst are good sausages for this recipe.
Options:
- Paprika: This may be sprinkled on top as a garnish, or sprinkle on 1 Tablespoon and give the kraut a toss. Please, real fresh Hungarian sweet paprika, not that flavorless red sawdust they sell in the supermarkets.
- Pepper: Stir in 1/4 teaspoon or to taste.
- Cream: Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream just before serving. I haven't tried this, but it is done.
- Bacon: If bacon is used, cream is not. Chop 5 oz bacon small and fry over very low flame until nearly all the fat is rendered and the bits are crispy. Remove the bits and fry 6 oz Onion in the fat until translucent, then stir in all * items as above. Stir the bacon crisps back in just before serving.

U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove, in=inch