Choucroute Garnie – Cooked Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut means sour cabbage in German and while it is considered a German staple, it is also popular in neighbouring countries such as France (specifically the Alsace region), Poland and other Eastern European countries.

You can buy fermented Sauerkraut in any supermarket, or make it yourself. A good reference is WikiHow if you are interested to ferment cabbage at home.

Sauerkraut contains probiotics (good gut bacterias) and is packed with other benefits such as antioxidants. It can be eaten raw, as a salad or a topping, or cooked like in this recipe.

Of course eating it in its raw state will keep all the good bacterias, but it is an acquired taste.

Cooked sauerkraut with sausages & charcuterie (smoked and salted meats) is a rich, hearty and warming dish, perfect for a dinner with family and friends.

Ingredients

• 500g of rinsed and drained sauerkraut
• 200g of bacon, cut into bite size cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• About 50g of butter
• 5 juniper berries + 2 cloves
• About 10 peppercorns or 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
• 5 allspice berries
• 1 large sweet apple, grated
• 1/4 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of stock or apple juice
• Charcuterie of your choice: chunks of cooked ham, frankfurters or other smoked sausages...
• Or 2 large kielbasa (Polish cooked sausages), cut into 4 pieces
• 4 strasbourg or bratwurst sausages (French or German sausages)
• 4 large boiled potatoes, peeled and cut into halves

Method