"Sauerkraut" news and stories

"Skinny Chef" Jennifer Iserloh says that with this recipe she gives granny's pork and sauerkraut a makeover. Gone is much of the fat from this dish, a traditional combo that helps ring in the new year. Iserloh uses pork loin trimmed of fat, and, along with the sauerkraut, a Gala apple and a touch of brown sugar for added flavor.

More recipes from Skinny Chef Jennifer Iserloh

Happy National Kraut Sandwich Week!

While most would assume sauerkraut to be a German creation -- its name translates literally to "sour cabbage" -- it was a common dish for Chinese laborers during the period that the Great Wall was erected, more than 2,000 years ago. While the Chinese would ferment the cabbage in rice wine, the German adaptation prominent today is typically brined in a mixture of water, salt and spices, as depicted here in Alton Brown's simple recipe.

As for sandwich toppings beyond those of the beloved reuben, sauerkraut takes a jump from the regular hot dog to kielbasa in this caraway and pepper spiced recipe, gets paired with flaky fish in this Floridian Fish 'N Kraut sandwich recipe, and even appears in a behemoth Parmaggedon sandwich, crammed in with pierogies, cheddar and grilled onions.

How would you suggest eating it? Share your sauerkraut sandwich ideas in the comments!

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Heard of sauerkraut balls? Unless you're from Ohio, probably not.

Born in the Cleveland area -- it's said they were invented in Akron, Ohio -- they're a beloved dish in the Buckeye State.

Sauerkraut, cooked ground pork, diced onions, bread crumbs, cream cheese and an egg are rolled into balls that about the size of meatballs. They are then fried and served as a snack or first course, even bar or picnic food.

McGarvey's in Vermilion, Ohio, used to be the place to order sauerkraut balls. Sadly, it closed in 1989, capping off several decades of preparing sauerkraut balls. An Examiner.com reporter, however, was able to wrestle the recipe out of Shelley Solomon Prueter, the daughter of McGarvey's owner Eddie Solomon.

Whip some up in your kitchen -- you might be surprised at how well these simple-to-make snacks are received.

Before writing this piece, I checked the Slashfood archives to make sure that I wasn't repeating something that had recently been covered. I needn't have worried; while we've had a few posts on German food over the years, our coverage has tended to focus on chocolate cake, beer, and potato salad, in that order.

While unfortunate, this is totally understandable. Although once a respected cuisine, German food has fallen on hard times. Rich in flavor, it is also rich in fat and salt, and lacks the exuberant seasoning of Italian food or the light freshness of nouvelle cuisine. It is a warming cuisine for a cold climate and, with its emphasis on preserved vegetables and cheap cuts of meat, it seems out-of-place in our fast-paced, refrigerator-dependent world.

The thing is, German food is attractive, cheap, and flavorful. Easy to prepare and a pleasure to eat, it is home cooking in the most meaningful sense of the word. What's more, by reducing serving sizes, playing with accompaniments and adjusting ingredients, it is possible to enjoy the reassuring warmth of German seasoning without breaking our increasingly health-conscious American diets.

• Fermentation is one of the oldest methods of food preservation known to man. Homemade sauerkraut is a simple way to dip a toe into this age-old technique. Here are some recipes: Old-Fashioned Fresh Sauerkraut, Spareribs and Sauerkraut, Sauerkraut and Red Beet Borscht, Reuben Sandwiches and Riesling-braised Sauerkraut and Apples.
  
• An update on Leslie Cole's personal batch of kraut.
• Next time you have a dinner party, instead of worrying about making dinner and dessert, just buy a U-Bake pie.
• Two Tarts, purveyors of tiny cookies at Portland-area farmers markets, have opened a retail store on 23rd Ave.
• Katherine Miller takes her extra rooster to the Northwest Winter Classic poultry show, in the hopes that she'll find him a new home.
• Leslie Cole attends the Wild About Game cook-off and tastes multiple dishes that include wild game.
• The diminutive Forelle pear is currently in season and has wonderful, cinnamon-y flavor that pairs well with cheese and sweets.
• Try making a Dijon Tuna Burger as a change of pace from your regular beef or turkey burgers.
• This week in the Market Basket, you'll find two vinegars and a balsamic spread.
• Kathleen Bauer reports from the Tigard Farmers Market.

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