The Minimalist’s Choucroute
In its homeland of Alsace, choucroute garnie is no more special than a frank and sauerkraut, with which it has much in common. But while the French treat this archetypally hearty combination of sauerkraut, spices, wine, and smoked meats as common fare, here it has become the province of restaurants. In any case, choucroute is a flexible combination of wintertime staples, the perfect cold-weather dish, featuring sauerkraut cooked in a little goose fat (or duck fat or lard) and wine, then “garnished”—this is some garnish—with a variety of candidly heavy meats, some smoked, some fresh or salted. Note that good sauerkraut does not come in cans but is sold fresh from barrels or in plastic. It should contain no more than cabbage and salt—beyond that, the less the better.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse the sauerkraut and drain it well. Combine it with the onion, juniper berries, and wine in a large skillet or broad pot and add enough water to come about two-thirds of the way up the side of the sauerkraut (in some pots, the wine may provide enough liquid). Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.
Step 2
Turn down the heat and nestle the bacon in the sauerkraut. Cover and cook for 1 hour, then add the sausages and pork chops. Re-cover and cook for another 30 minutes. The sauerkraut should be tender but retain some crunch; cook for another 15 minutes if necessary, then taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3
To serve, cut the meat into pieces and serve it on a platter with the sauerkraut along with hot mustard.
Variations
Step 4
Add several tablespoons of duck fat or lard to the simmering sauerkraut (a traditional addition).
Step 5
Use any sausages you like, including those made from chicken, veal, turkey, or seafood.
Step 6
Add 12 small potatoes to the pot when about 45 minutes of cooking time remain.
Step 7
Add 2 to 3 peeled, cored, and grated apples to the sauerkraut when about 15 minutes of cooking remain.
Step 8
Stir 2 tablespoons kirsch into the sauerkraut about 5 minutes before serving.
