# What Do You Do With Sauerkraut?



## Mad Cook (Apr 2, 2015)

While exploring the store cupboard I found a large jar of Polish sauerkraut. Near its "best by" date so decided to use it. Had it with some Hereford (variety of cow that donated its meat) meatballs. Very good. Not as strong as some brands of jarred sauerkraut.

I have some merquez sausages in the freezer which need using so I'll probably have the sauerkraut with those. A spot of national confusion here but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

What do you do with sauerkraut? Not how do you make it from scratch - I would never be that desperate (see the following tale) but how do you serve it?

                  ............................................................................

When I was a little girl we lived in a row of terraced houses built in 1805. The loft space under the roof ran from one end of the row to the other with no walls separating the individual houses' lofts.

One day we began to notice an odd smell. Mother attacked the smell with bleach and disinfectant while father searched the coal cellar for deceased vermin to no avail and the smell got worse - and worse - and worse and soon all the inhabitants of the row of houses were up in arms, with everyone blaming everyone else. 

After this had gone on for some time, the local council were informed and the drains were inspected. Nothing wrong there. Further investigation ensued and the culprit was found.

A married couple had moved into the house next door to us some months earlier. The wife was a German lady. You know where this is going don't you? We didn't see much of her as she didn't speak much English and this was the very early 1950s and it seems that she had suffered a lot of harassment for her nationality where they had lived previously, so she hadn't been involved in the smell hunting. It turned out that she had made a quantity of sauerkraut and, failing anywhere else to put it to ferment, she had stashed it in the loft space whence it had spread its disgusting odour all through the row of houses!


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## CraigC (Apr 2, 2015)

Along the lines of a boiled dinner or corned beef and cabbage, I make a one pot dish that uses sauerkraut, different German style sausages, pork spareribs or thin pork chops, boiling onions, carrots and potatoes. Caraway seeds are a must as one of the spices, even if there were some in the kraut itself. Good German mustard(s) and/or horseradish for the sausages and pork meat. Simple peasant food.


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## Kayelle (Apr 2, 2015)

You could make my 

"Trust Me Sauerkraut Salad"

It's called that because you need to trust me that it's really good.   Even people who usually don't like sauerkraut say so, even kids. 

1 lg. can of sauerkraut, drained 
1 cup chopped celery
1/2  cup chopped purple onion
1 cup chopped green or red bell pepper (or combo)

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cider vinegar
1/4 vegetable oil 
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine kraut and veggies.  Mix dressing and toss with mixture.  Chill  several hours to combine flavors and drain off some of the juice before  serving ice cold.  It's especially good with grilled meats. 


Then there's this...
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f49/down-memory-lane-german-stew-recipe-80801.html


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## Dawgluver (Apr 2, 2015)

Funny story, MC!

I make a dish that I love, that I learned from my mother.  Fry up some hamburger (mince) with some diced onion, drain, add some cooked rice, the kraut and a can of Campbell's tomato soup.  Cook a bit longer until heated through.  I can eat this for a week straight, though it is not DH's favorite.

Another fave is cooking pork chops with sliced apples, onions and kraut.  Brown the chops, then throw in the rest, cover and cook until tender.  Also good in the CP.


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## Andy M. (Apr 2, 2015)

I'm the only sauerkraut lover around here so I just use it on hot dogs.


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## Dawgluver (Apr 2, 2015)

It is really good on hot dogs.


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## roadfix (Apr 2, 2015)

On hot dogs and sometimes over steamed rice.


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## Whiskadoodle (Apr 2, 2015)

1.  Reuben sandwiches
2.  Bratwurst/  hot dogs, especially during Am football season
3.  Sliced kielbasa / sauerkraut/ brown sugar/apple/ caraway/ beer if you have some/ otherwise apple cider/ onion/  -- slow baked
4.  Pork chops and sauerkraut make good friends on a dinner plate. Even better if there are mashed potatoes.


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## judys (Apr 2, 2015)

I love this thread! We eat sauerkraut on reubens, hotdogs and sometimes just cold out of the jar. Pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes and dumplings is our go-to meal every New Years day (love the kraut on top of mashed potatoes). Now I have more ideas. I think I will give the Trust me salad a try .


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## Addie (Apr 2, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> I'm the only sauerkraut lover around here so I just use it on hot dogs.



Be still my heart. I won't eat a hot dog without it. There used to be a hot dog cart right at the entrance door to South Station Train pavilion before they did the whole place over. I used to get me a couple of dogs every noon for my lunch. I could have gotten a free lunch at the cafeteria where I worked, but nothing they served could equal those hot dogs. I haven't found a place yet to replace those dogs. 

But I may sound like a bit of a food snob. I do not like the canned kraut. I buy it in the refrigerator section in a bag. So much better. I also like it with of course a Reuben Sandwich, pork chops, and a pork roast, any pork dish. I even have Pirate loving it as much as I do.


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## taxlady (Apr 2, 2015)

CraigC said:


> Along the lines of a boiled dinner or corned beef and cabbage, I make a one pot dish that uses sauerkraut, different German style sausages, pork spareribs or thin pork chops, boiling onions, carrots and potatoes. Caraway seeds are a must as one of the spices, even if there were some in the kraut itself. Good German mustard(s) and/or horseradish for the sausages and pork meat. Simple peasant food.


Sounds great. Please post the recipe.


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## Kayelle (Apr 2, 2015)

judys said:


> I love this thread! We eat sauerkraut on reubens, hotdogs and sometimes just cold out of the jar. Pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes and dumplings is our go-to meal every New Years day (love the kraut on top of mashed potatoes). *Now I have more ideas. I think I will give the Trust me salad a try* .



I bet you'll like it Judys......By the way, we're glad to have you aboard and welcome to Discuss Cooking.


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## CraigC (Apr 2, 2015)

taxlady said:


> Sounds great. Please post the recipe.



I do it from memory of my grandmother's recipe, nothing written down. I will try to put it on "paper" this weekend.


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## taxlady (Apr 2, 2015)

CraigC said:


> I do it from memory of my grandmother's recipe, nothing written down. I will try to put it on "paper" this weekend.


Thanks. It doesn't need strict quantities, more hints & technique, e.g., what needs to be cut up; what needs to be browned?


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## Mad Cook (Apr 2, 2015)

CraigC said:


> Along the lines of a boiled dinner or corned beef and cabbage, I make a one pot dish that uses sauerkraut, different German style sausages, pork spareribs or thin pork chops, boiling onions, carrots and potatoes. Caraway seeds are a must as one of the spices, even if there were some in the kraut itself. Good German mustard(s) and/or horseradish for the sausages and pork meat. Simple peasant food.


Thanks, Craig. That's along the lines of choucroute garni, which is a dish from Alsace. Cooking there has a lot in common with Germany


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## Mad Cook (Apr 2, 2015)

Kayelle said:


> You could make my
> 
> "Trust Me Sauerkraut Salad"
> 
> ...


 Thanks. I'd never thought about using it in a salad.


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## Kayelle (Apr 2, 2015)

Mad Cook said:


> Thanks. I'd never thought about using it in a salad.



I forgot to mention that I snip up the kraut a little bit with my kitchen shears to make the salad easier to eat. Now I'm hungry for it..off to the kitchen.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 2, 2015)

Wonderful memory Mad Cook, thanks for sharing.

As for the sauerkraut...I bury it as far from the house as I can

Although, I have cooked it in the drippings from frying pork chops, adding brown sugar to that and Shrek has loved it. Sort of a sweet and sour.  I'm old enough I don't have to eat it.


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 2, 2015)

Toss the leftovers into a pot of soup!

I like beef stock, mushrooms, barley and leftover kraut along with whatever else I find in the dark recesses of the refrigerator!  

You can also freeze the leftover kraut in stock or water and make the soup a  few weeks later.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 2, 2015)

Maybe I should freeze it for Shrek, that sounds like an excellent idea Aunt Bea!


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## Dawgluver (Apr 2, 2015)

What a good idea, Aunt Bea, would have never thought of putting kraut in soup!


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 2, 2015)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Maybe I should freeze it for Shrek, that sounds like an excellent idea Aunt Bea!



You could make him a cake!

Most people think the kraut is shreds of coconut! 

German Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake Recipe | Taste of Home


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## larry_stewart (Apr 2, 2015)

I just made myself some homemade Sauerkraut , and Im just eating it out of the jar.  I love it.  Sometimes Ill make myself a sauerkraut and pickle salad.  Just toss some kraut with a bunch of different kinds of sliced pickles ( half sour, sour, garlic...)    Does a number on my stomach, but I love it.


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## blissful (Apr 2, 2015)

Egg rolls.

Filling of cooked ground beef (or italian sausage or pork), chopped and cooked onion, chopped water chestnuts, chopped sauerkraut. Wrap in egg roll wrappers, fry or bake brushed with olive oil until brown. Serve with a sauce of honey and mustard with soy sauce.


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## Dawgluver (Apr 2, 2015)

blissful said:


> Egg rolls.
> 
> Filling of cooked ground beef (or italian sausage or pork), chopped and cooked onion, chopped water chestnuts, chopped sauerkraut. Wrap in egg roll wrappers, fry or bake brushed with olive oil until brown. Serve with a sauce of honey and mustard with soy sauce.




This intrigues me, Blissful. Oft times I don't have fresh bean sprouts that I would usually use, what a great replacement!


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## Bookbrat (Apr 2, 2015)

My MIL fed farm hands and one of our favorite comfort foods is Hazel's sauerkraut pie...browned burger and onion in a casserole dish, then a layer of sauerkraut and mashed potatoes on top...all baked until bubbly.

We're using up the last of a batch of red kraut that I made last fall and stashed in the fridge. Makes great cole slaw...just some mayo and a little sugar and caraway seed.


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## Kayelle (Apr 2, 2015)

blissful said:


> Egg rolls.
> 
> Filling of cooked ground beef (or italian sausage or pork), chopped and cooked onion, chopped water chestnuts, chopped sauerkraut. Wrap in egg roll wrappers, fry or bake brushed with olive oil until brown. Serve with a sauce of honey and mustard with soy sauce.



What a good idea, and I'm so happy to see you again blissful!


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## Josie1945 (Apr 2, 2015)

Kayelle
  Thanks for posting Your Sauer Kraut Salad recipe.
When I read it I went to the kitchen and made it, 
It is delish. I made with home made saur kraut.
 I canned 18 pints of sauer kraut last week it is 
awesome,nothing like the store bought

Thanks
Josie





> "Trust Me Sauerkraut Salad"
> 
> It's called that because you need to trust me that it's really good.   Even people who usually don't like sauerkraut say so, even kids.
> 
> ...


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## Dawgluver (Apr 3, 2015)

Any of Kayelle's recipes I've made I've enjoyed, this is next!


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## Josie1945 (Apr 3, 2015)

Dawgluver said:


> Any of Kayelle's recipes I've made I've enjoyed, this is next!


 
 Dawgluver
This one is so easy.You will love it.
I think she deserves a pay raise.

Josie


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## Kayelle (Apr 3, 2015)

Good golly MsMolly.....both of you just made my day!


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## Cooking Goddess (Apr 3, 2015)

I always have at least one jar of Morena Polish sauerkraut in the house. When I bring the last one up from the basement I make sure to buy a resupply. We like it best with pork roasts, pork chops, pork sausages...pretty much anything pork that isn't cured.

In the vein of blissful's suggestion, there is an Irish pub in Cleveland, OH that offers an appetizer called "Irish Egg Rolls". (Don't scoff at the "Irish" and "Cleveland" in that sentence, the place is run by the Goonan and Reece families.  ) I've been wanting to try these, but I keep forgetting to buy egg roll wrappers.

"Handcrafted egg rolls filled with corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese. Served with 1000 Island or Hooley Sauce"


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## Gravy Queen (Apr 3, 2015)

Does the egg roll recipe come from Ireland ,  or is it an American invention with the word Irish in front ? 

MC a jar of sauerkraut just sounds to me like something bought on a whim and put in the store cupboard , where in my kitchen it would stay till I had one of those clear outs and you realise things are lurking........


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## Andy M. (Apr 3, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> ..."Handcrafted egg rolls filled with corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese. Served with 1000 Island or Hooley Sauce"




Sounds like a Reuben roll


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## CWS4322 (Apr 3, 2015)

I just eat it out of the jar with a fork. We make sauerkraut...so have lots of jars of it hanging around. Sometimes I will put it on a slice of homemade bread, topped with cheese and homemade salsa, nuked..."quick" pizza for lunch. Heated up as a side with ham or pork chops.


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## CraigC (Apr 3, 2015)

taxlady said:


> Thanks. It doesn't need strict quantities, more hints & technique, e.g., what needs to be cut up; what needs to be browned?



German Style Boiled Dinner
Ingredients
2 lbs kraut with liquid
1 lbs boiling onions peeled, ends removed
1-1/2 lbs spareribs, membrane removed and cut into two rib sections
1 lb brats or other German style sausages
2-3 large carrots, peeled and chunked
1 large sweet onion, large dice
1-2 cloves of garlic, smashed and peels removed
1 lb whole new potatoes, your choice, rinsed 
1-2 stalks celery, rinsed and chunked (optional)
Vegetable oil
Caraway seeds
Bay leaves*
Juniper berries*
whole black pepper corns*
Chicken stock and/or beer
S&P

*I put these into a little cloth bag we have for pickling beef or you can use cheese cloth. I purposely didn't put amounts, that is up to you.

Note: My grandmother would also use a small head of green or red cabbage, quartered, stem left intact.

Directions
Heat a large Dutch oven size pot over medium-high. Add a couple tablespoons of oil. Brown the sausages and remove. S&P the ribs and brown them in the pot and remove. Add diced onions and celery (if used). Saute until vegis are soft. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Deglaze the pot with chicken stock and/or beer. Bring to a simmer and add the kraut. Return the meat to the pot, add caraway seeds and spice bag. Cover pot and bring to a simmer. You will be adding the other vegetables in order of cooking time, adjusting liquid as needed to cover. When the last vegi is cooked through, adjust seasonings and serve using a slotted spoon or spider. Serve mustard(s) and horseradish on the side along with a good dark rye bread if you like. You can add other pork products if you like, just brown at the beginning.


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## Cooking Goddess (Apr 3, 2015)

Gravy Queen said:


> Does the egg roll recipe come from Ireland ,  or is it an American invention with the word Irish in front ?...


Not from Ireland, but the elder Mr. Goonan is.  I'm guessing it's called that to pique the interest of those perusing the menu. 



Andy M. said:


> Sounds like a Reuben roll


Whatever it's called, it sounds good. It would be even more interesting if you could get rye egg roll wrappers.


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## blissful (Apr 3, 2015)

Rueben....casserole.

We make this at new year's, as an appetizer, nearly every year.
All the usual suspects, corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, all chopped, mixed with thousand island dressing, put in an 8 by 8 inch corning casserole dish, baked until hot melted and gooey. Served with those little rye or pumpernickel breads (2x2 inches), or toast, or crackers, scoop the casserole by the spoonful onto the breads.


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## msmofet (Apr 5, 2015)

I am a little late but here is a suggestion.  We love it.

*Ms. Mofet's Pork Chops and Sauerkraut* (click)


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## Addie (Apr 10, 2015)

blissful said:


> Rueben....casserole.
> 
> We make this at new year's, as an appetizer, nearly every year.
> All the usual suspects, corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, all chopped, mixed with thousand island dressing, put in an 8 by 8 inch corning casserole dish, baked until hot melted and gooey. Served with those little rye or pumpernickel breads (2x2 inches), or toast, or crackers, scoop the casserole by the spoonful onto the breads.



Not me. I ain't scooping any Reuben on a small piece of bread. I am taking a bowlful and making a piggy of myself. Once I get me a bowlful, then I will considering scooping it while I sit in the corner where no one can find me and ask for some.


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## Gravy Queen (Apr 10, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Not from Ireland, but the elder Mr. Goonan is.  I'm guessing it's called that to pique the interest of those perusing the menu.
> 
> 
> Whatever it's called, it sounds good. It would be even more interesting if you could get rye egg roll wrappers.




 what a swizz .


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Apr 10, 2015)

I throw it away. I do not like sauerkraut!


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