Sauerkraut: Another Fermentation

Fermentation often enhances flavor, and it’s a key element to many foods we enjoy, such as beer, bread, cheese, chocolate, hard cider, yogurt, wine, vinegar, kimchi and sauerkraut. In raw sauerkraut (which is German for “sour cabbage”), lacto-fermentation not only preserves the cabbage, but transforms it into a super food that’s high in vitamin C, tyramine (a cancer-fighting substance) and a probiotic that helps maintain good intestinal health.

Sauerkraut is easy to make, and any lover of sour beers will enjoy the flavor it can bring to a dish or meal. Here are a few recipes that use sauerkraut, and one recipe for making it from scratch. Don’t have the time to whip up a batch yourself? When buying sauerkraut, be sure to look for the fresh variety that hasn’t been pasteurized, so the beneficial nutrients will be intact.

Homemade Sauerkraut
Why make sauerkraut? Sure, you can buy a jar off the shelf, drain and serve. But the pre-made product is inferior to the homemade version in many ways. Sauerkraut is basically fermented cabbage. When made at home, you can choose what type or types of cabbage to use, and which additional flavorings you want, so you can create a lacto-fermentation with the flavor profile that suits your tastes.

Makes: about a gallon

Ingredients:
5 lb. cabbage, very fresh, any variety or mix
3 tbsp. salt, sea or pickling (4 tbsp in the summer)

Equipment:
1 each Earthenware Crock or food-grade plastic bucket, about 1–2 gallon size
1 each plate, about the diameter of the crock or bucket
1 each heavy weight, such as a jug or jar filled with water
1 sheet cheesecloth, 2 feet by 2 feet

Directions:
When picking out the cabbage for making kraut, try to go to a farmers market or fresh produce store. Using the freshest available vegetables to make sauerkraut will ensure a superior product. As the lacto-fermentation preserves the vegetables’ natural freshness, the resulting sauerkraut will have a great crunchy texture and strong flavor.

Start by removing the outer layer of leaves from the cabbage(s). Using a sharp knife, cut each cabbage in quarters, cutting through the heart or stem end. Take each quarter and lay it down on a clean cutting board, on the “cut” side. Slice the cabbage as thin as a dime or as thick as a piece of fettucini, depending on how thick you want the finished kraut to be. Either discard or keep the heart of the cabbage (you won’t need it for this recipe). Place the cut cabbage into a large bowl.

Once all the cabbage is cut, season the sliced cabbage with the salt by sprinkling some, then tossing the cabbage, then sprinkling some more. As you’re mixing the cabbage, lightly squeeze it and fold it over onto itself, spreading the salt equally throughout the cabbage. The salt will pull out the natural water in the vegetable and mix with this water to create a brine (a mixture of water and salt). This salt will preserve the cabbage’s crunch by creating an environment that is high in salinity, which will prevent other organisms from breaking down the cabbage.

Pack the salted cabbage into the crock or clean food-grade bucket a handful at a time. The key to making a good sauerkraut is to remove all the air pockets, keeping the lacto-fermentation anaerobic. Press each layer down flat as you pack them. Once the container is filled, press down hard, using both hands, making sure all the cabbage is packed as tightly as possible and checking to see how much water has been released (via osmosis). The juice or brine level should rise to be above the level of the cabbage. (This process may take up to 24 hours.) Place a clean plate, the same diameter as the container, on top of the pressed cabbage, then top with the weight to keep the vegetables down below the surface of the liquid. Cover with the cheesecloth and place in a cool location (around 55°–70°F), like a basement or corner of the kitchen.

After 24 hours have passed, check the liquid (brine) level in the container, making sure the liquid is completely submerging the plate. If the brine is not covering the cabbage, make a small batch of brine by dissolving a teaspoon of salt in a quart of water. Then pour this brine over the plate and re-cover the bucket. Let the sauerkraut sit at least 2–4 weeks to ferment. Check the liquid levels periodically, especially if you’re making it during the warmer months, because of evaporation and liquid loss. Over time, a scum or pellicle may form. This may be removed, but it’s harmless.

The temperature of the room (and the time of year) will affect the fermentation time of the kraut. The young sauerkraut (2–3 weeks) will be slightly stronger in sourness and have more crunch. The sauerkraut will evolve over the following weeks (if there is any left) to mellow in flavor. To serve, just remove some sauerkraut from the fermenting crock/bucket and eat as is, or wash it to soften the sour flavor.

Variations:
Instead of just cabbage (green, red, Napa or savoy), sauerkraut can be made with grated carrots, onions (red and yellow), Brussels sprouts, leeks, garlic, horseradish, beets, pears, apples or any other combination of vegetables. One recipe I enjoy is:
2 each cabbage heads, green
1 each cabbage head, savoy
2 each leeks, white and light green part, washed well and sliced paper thin
2 tbsp. horseradish, fresh, peeled and grated
3 tbsp. salt, sea or pickling

Reuben Pie
I love how all the flavors of a Reuben come together—the sharp Swiss cheese, the tang of the Thousand Island dressing, the peppery, smoky pastrami, the sour from the sauerkraut, and the rye bread. I took this iconic sandwich and converted it using the concept of a shepherd’s pie, creating what I call a “Reuben Pie.”

Serves: 6–8 guests

Reuben Filling Ingredients:
5 tbsp. olive oil, preferably roasted-garlic flavored
2 each onions, yellow, large, peeled and sliced
2 each bay leaves, fresh
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. thyme leaves, fresh
8 each garlic cloves, roasted, peeled
1 tsp. black pepper, cracked
2 tsp. pickling spices, ground fine
3 tbsp. flour, all purpose
22 oz. Stone Smoked Porter or other smoked beer
2 lb. pastrami, sliced thin, then chopped
2 cups sauerkraut, washed and dried
1/4 lb. Gruyère cheese, grated

Reuben Filling Directions:
In a large pot placed over medium heat, combine the oil, onions, bay leaves, salt and thyme, sautéing until the onions are lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted garlic, black pepper and ground pickling spices to the onion mixture and mix well. Then sprinkle the flour over the onions and mix, making a roux, cooking for about 3 minutes. Add the Smoked Porter and, using a flat-edged spatula, scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, mixing the beer into the roux; bring to a simmer. This will make a beer gravy.

Turn the heat down to medium low and add the chopped pastrami meat, mixing to combine with the gravy and warming up the meat. Let simmer for 5 minutes and then transfer the contents of the pot to a casserole pan (Pyrex 9 x 13) or individual oven-proof bowls. Top with an even layer of the washed sauerkraut, then a layer of the grated Gruyère cheese, and set aside.

Thousand Island Mashed Potato Ingredients:
3 lb. potatoes, Yukon or Idaho variety, peeled and cubed
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. Sierra Nevada Porter Mustard or other beer mustard
2 tsp. pickle, chopped
2 tsp. horseradish, freshly grated or prepared
1 tsp. capers
1 tsp. malt vinegar
8 each garlic cloves, roasted
1 cup cream, heavy
1/2 lb. Gruyère cheese, grated

Thousand Island Mashed Potato Directions:
As the Reuben filling is cooking, add the potatoes to a large pot filled with cold water and season with enough salt to make the water taste like ocean water. Place over high heat and bring to a simmer, cooking the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 25–30 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander, and let them sit until you’re ready to use them.

In the pitcher of a blender or bowl of a food processor, add the tomato paste, salt, mustard, pickle, horseradish, capers, malt vinegar and roasted garlic cloves. Pulse to puree the mixture into a smooth paste, adding the cream at the very end to make a Thousand Island-flavored sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the cooked and well-drained potatoes back into the pot they were cooked in. Using a potato masher or ricer, mash the potatoes until they are smooth. Add the Thousand Island sauce to the potatoes and mix well. Taste the potatoes to see if they need more salt. Layer the top of the sauerkraut/Reuben filling with an even layer of the Thousand Island Mashed Potatoes, then top with the remaining grated Gruyère. Place the casserole pan or individual bowls (placed on a sheet tray) in the preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes. The Reuben Pie is done when the filling is bubbling and the cheese has browned on top of the potatoes.

Eintopf
Pork chops and kielbasa braised in beer and sauerkraut. When I was growing up, my mother would make a very similar version of this dish on cold nights. “Eintopf” is German for “one-pot meal.” This dish can be made with different variations of protein, including smoked chops, smoked ham, bratwurst, fleischwurst, bierwurst, bockwurst or other fresh sausages.

Serves: 6–8 guests

Ingredients:
12 oz. bacon, smoked, thick cut
3 tbsp. roasted garlic oil or olive oil
4 each pork chops, bone in or boneless (about 1 1/2–2 lb.)
3 each onions, yellow, large, peeled and sliced
2–3 each bay leaves, fresh
1 tsp. thyme leaves, fresh
1 tsp. juniper berries, lightly cracked
1 tsp. black pepper, cracked
2 lb. sauerkraut, rinsed in warm water
8 each kielbasa sausages, scored with a knife and cut in half (about 2 lb.)
500 mL Schneider Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock or other malt-forward lager
Sierra Nevada Porter Mustard for serving

Directions:
In a large skillet or sauté pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon and oil until the fat has rendered out of the bacon, just until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked bacon to a plate and reserve. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and sear them in the pan, cooking on each side for 3 minutes to brown. Set the pork chops aside, on the same plate as the bacon. Next, add the sliced onions, bay leaves, thyme, juniper berries and pepper, and sauté until the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Mix in the sauerkraut and the reserved bacon. Then, using tongs, nestle the kielbasa and seared pork chops into the onion/kraut mixture. Pour the malty brew over top, making sure there is enough beer to just cover everything. This can be cooked two ways: on the stovetop, by bringing to a simmer, reducing the heat to medium low and letting the chops and sausage simmer for 35 minutes; or by braising in a 300°F oven for 45–60 minutes.

Serve with beer mustard and some rustic German-style breads along with a nice Bock, Dunkel or Schwarzbier. ■