Making Sauerkraut
Ingredients
- 5 kg Cabbage
- 100 g Salt
Preparation of the Sauerkraut
For the sauerkraut production, solid fresh cabbage is best suited. After removing the outer leaves of the cabbage, it needs to be shredded finely with a cabbage shredder or a sharp knife. Now you have to arrange the cabbage in layers alternating with salt in the crock. Each layer must be mashed, until the excess fluid is over the cabbage. Then the next layer of cabbage with salt is added.
Depending on the needs and tastes, you can add the following ingredients to each layer of the sauerkraut:
- Sugar
- Caraway
- Juniper Berries
- Vine leaves
- Carrots
- Apple slices
After the whole cabbage is stratified and mashed, the crock needs to be covered by a clean cloth, weighted by a heavy object (e.g. a stone) and stored in a cool place. The cloth should be changed every single week. After about 4-6 weeks, the fermentation is complete and the sauerkraut is ready to eat.
Once the sauerkraut is ready, it may be prepared in different ways. You will find two delicious recipes below!
Video of how to make sauerkraut
With the following instructions, you can make your own sauerkraut with the greatest of ease.
Franconian-style sauerkraut
Ingredients
- sauerkraut
- a dash of water
- spices (caraway, laurel leaves, juniper berries, dash of sugar)
- bacon
- onions
- raw potatoes
- a dash of flour
Preparation
Put the desired quantity of sauerkraut along with the spices and a little water in a pot and steam it until the sauerkraut is done. Depending on the quantity and desired consistency this is about an hour. If needed, add some more water. The sauerkraut is even more tasty, if you add some fried bacon and onions.
If the sauerkraut is done, shred one or two raw potatoes into the pot. In addition, the liquid can be thickened with a little flour. Thus, the creamy and smooth consistency is achieved. After some more minutes, the sauerkraut can be served (e.g. with sausages and mashed potatoes).
Sauerkraut Soup
Ingredients
- 1000 ml beef or chicken broth
- 2 onions
- 1 bunch greens
- 2 tbsp. pork dripping
- 500 g sauerkraut
- 3 laurel leaves
- 1-2 tbsp. juniper berries
- 1 tsp. caraway
- 50 g cream
- 50 g sour cream
- white pepper, salt
Preparation
Roast the small chopped onions gently in pork dripping until they are glassy. Add the sauerkraut and fill it up with the broth. Now, stir in greens, laurel leaves and juniper berries and let it simmer about an hour.
Now remove greens and laurel leaves and sprinkle over caraway, salt and pepper. Put the sauerkraut soup into a plate or pottery vessels and garnish it with the mixture of cream and sour cream.