Choucroute Garnie
Pork
Ingredients
Preparation:
½ cup carrots
1 cup onion
1 tart variety apple
4 sprigs parsley
1 Bay leaf
6 peppercorns
10 juniper berries (if not adding gin to the casserole)
½ lb. chunk bacon
2 quarts of water
1 teaspoon soft unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced parsley for garnish
2 lbs. sauerkraut
Cooking:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
1½ lb. smoked pork hock
1 cup dry white wine OR
⅔ cup dry white vermouth
¼ cup gin (optional)
2 to 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
a good pinch of brown sugar
½ tablespoon oil
3 Weisswurst
3 Bratwurst
3 European wieners
2 smoked pork chops
Parsley, finely chopped for decorating
Description
This recipe is based on one created by Julia Child.
Directions
Preparation:
- Thinly slice the carrots and onion and set aside.
- Peel and grate the apple and set aside.
- Make a bouquet garni of parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, and juniper berries (if using instead of gin).
- Remove the rind and slice the bacon into ½" pieces about 2" long. Simmer it in the water for 10 minutes and then drain.
- Cut and butter a piece of parchment paper to fit the Dutch Oven that will be used to cook the casserole.
- Mince the parsley for serving.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Drain the sauerkraut and soak it in a large basin of cold water for about 5 - 10 minutes, changing the water twice. (You want the sauerkraut to still have some flavour but without most of its "bite".) Drain it and then, taking it by small handfuls, squeeze out as much water as you can. Pull it apart to separate the strands.
Cooking:
Cook the bacon, carrots, and onions in butter and oil slowly in a Dutch Oven for 10 minutes without browning. Stir in the sauerkraut and apple and when everything is well mixed, cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes more.
Bury the bouquet garni in the dish, add the pork hock, pour in the wine or vermouth, the gin (if using), and enough stock just to cover the sauerkraut. Season lightly with salt and pepper and a good pinch of brown sugar. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Place the parchment paper covering on top of the sauerkraut mixture, butter side down, and set the Dutch Oven in the middle of the oven. Regulate the heat so that the sauerkraut bubbles slowly for 4½ hours and the liquid has been mostly absorbed by the sauerkraut (check the casserole near the end and if it appears too dry, add a little water or broth). Remove and discard the bouquet garni, taste the casserole for seasoning. Remove the skin and bone from the pork hock, break up the meat from it into chunks and put it back in the dish. If not served immediately, set aside uncovered.
About an hour before the end of this cooking period, heat the oil in a skillet and brown the other meats lightly. With a half hour to go, bury them in the sauerkraut to finish cooking.
Mound the sauerkraut in the middle of a platter surrounded by the sausages and sliced pork chops. Decorate with chopped parsley.
Notes
You can make the dish (before adding the browned meats) early in the day or the day before as it reheats well.
Serve with boiled, buttered potatoes with chopped parsley on top.
Best served with a variety of mustards and, of course, Riesling wine (preferably Alsatian) or beer.
Last Edited: Mar'23