Hard Cider Braised Sausages With Sauerkraut Recipes

Steps:

• Halve larger potatoes and leave small potatoes as is, cover with water, bring to a boil, season with salt and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Place sausages in a cast iron skillet, add 1/2-inch of water and a drizzle of oil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and let the sausages heat through as the water evaporates. Shake pan and let the casings crisp up until they burst, 3 to 4 minutes, and are golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• While sausages and potatoes cook, cut cabbage half into half again and trim away the core with an angled cut. Shred the cabbage very thinly with your knife and reserve. Place the shredder blade in your food processor. Peel the carrots and trim the root end. Trim the celery, and peel and quarter the red onion lengthwise. Peel the apple and quarter lengthwise then cut away the core as you did the cabbage. Using the processor, shred the carrots, celery, onion and apple, through the feed tube, removing from bowl as necessary.
• In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Season the mixture with bay leaf, grill seasoning or coarse salt and pepper, and caraway seeds. Saute 7 to 8 minutes, tossing frequently.
• While cabbage cooks, put a medium skillet on the stove with a drizzle of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add chopped bacon and render 2 to 3 minutes then stir in the yellow onion and cook for 5 minutes with the bacon to soften.
• Add hard cider to cabbage mixture and reduce for 30 seconds. Stir in the mustard and turn off the heat. Discard the bay leaf.
• When potatoes are cooked, drain and add to bacon and onion. Douse the pan with vinegar and sprinkle with sugar. Pour stock evenly over pan, add the parsley and some pepper and turn off the heat. Stir the potatoes 1 minute to form a starchy sauce and combine flavors.
• Halve crispy sausages and serve on generous bed of cabbage, with the potatoes alongside.
• Serve with hard cider or white Belgian ale with orange wedge.

Steps:

• Remove any loose leaves from the cabbage head and reserve. Quarter the cabbage and thinly slice, on a mandoline if you have one. (The shreds should be about the thickness of a quarter.) Toss the cabbage in a large bowl with the pickling salt. Work the cabbage through your hands and massage for a minute or two, until the cabbage begins to "sweat" and release some water.
• Thinly slice, then julienne the green apple, leaving the peel on. (Again, use a mandoline if you have one.) Slice the ginger into coins and press with the side of your knife to bruise them slightly and release their oils. Add the apples, ginger and allspice berries to the cabbage and toss well. Let sit for an hour or two, until the cabbage has released quite a bit of water.
• Pack the cabbage mixture into a large, wide-mouthed crock and press down very firmly until the liquid the cabbage has released covers it. (Depending on the age of your cabbage, it may release less water; a fresher cabbage will release a lot of water, while a cabbage that has been stored all winter will release less.) If the cabbage is not covered, mix together 1 quart cold water and 4 1/2 teaspoons pickling salt until dissolved and pour over enough to cover the cabbage.
• Use a couple of the reserved whole cabbage leaves to cover the surface of the cabbage. Cover with a plate (or the weight provided, if you have a fermenting crock) and set something heavy on top to weight it. (You can use cans. Many people like to use a resealable plastic bag filled with the same salted water solution used above because it weights evenly and if it leaks, it doesn't ruin the fermentation process.) Store the crock in a cool, dry place.
• Check the kraut after 2 days. There should be a few bubbles around the sides. Skim any scum that has risen to the surface. Check the kraut every few days and repeat skimming, if needed. Depending on the temperature of your room, the kraut should be ready after about a week. (Some people ferment for a couple of weeks or more, depending on how funky they want their kraut to be.)
• Divide the kraut and pack into jars. Store in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse the kraut well (discarding any ginger pieces) before using.

Steps:

• Prick sausages several times with the tip of a small knife. Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown sausages, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
• Add remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons butter to skillet along with onion, bay leaves, caraway seeds, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut, cider, and sugar, then nestle sausages into mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large bowl soak sauerkraut in cold water to cover 20 minutes, changing water once halfway through soaking. While sauerkraut is soaking, in a large heavy skillet cook bacon pieces over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons drippings and add onions to bacon. Cook mixture, stirring, until onions are softened. Drain sauerkraut well in a colander, pressing out excess liquid, and in a large flameproof roasting pan combine with bacon mixture, carrots, beer, broth, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns. Bring sauerkraut mixture to a boil on top of stove and boil 1 minute. Cover pan tightly with foil and braise in middle of oven 4 hours. Sauerkraut may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead, cooled, uncovered, and chilled, covered with plastic wrap. Reheat sauerkraut before proceeding. If desired, in a heavy skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and in batches brown sausages. Add sausages and pork loin to sauerkraut, partially submerging them. Braise sausages and sauerkraut, covered tightly with foil, in middle of oven 30 minutes and transfer with a slotted spoon to a heated platter, discarding bay leaves if desired. (Do not eat bay leaves if leaving as garnish.)

Steps:

• Cut and pull away the cloth covering of the pork butt.
• Remove the stems from the apples. Peel and core the apples, and cut them into quarters. Cut the quarters crosswise into thin pieces. There should be about 2 1/2 cups.
• Peel the potatoes, and cut each in half crosswise. Let the potatoes stand in water to cover until ready to be used.
• Heat the lard in a large, heavy casserole, and add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onions are wilted.
• Add the caraway seeds and cook briefly. Add the apples, stirring.
• Rinse and drain the sauerkraut. Squeeze it to extract excess liquid. Add the sauerkraut and juniper berries to the casserole.
• Place the pork butt in the center of the sauerkraut. Add the bay leaf, cider and broth. Cover closely. Bring to a boil, and cook 15 minutes.
• Arrange the boulettes of pork and kielbasa over the sauerkraut. Drain the potatoes and add them. Cover closely and continue cooking 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
• Slice the meats, and serve with the pork balls, potatoes and sauerkraut.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a large bowl soak sauerkraut in cold water to cover 20 minutes, changing water once halfway through soaking.
• While sauerkraut is soaking, in a large heavy skillet cook bacon pieces over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons drippings and add onions to bacon. Cook mixture, stirring, until onions are softened.
• Drain sauerkraut well in a colander, pressing out excess liquid, and in a large flameproof roasting pan combine with bacon mixture, carrots, beer, broth, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns. Bring sauerkraut mixture to a boil on top of stove and boil 1 minute. Cover pan tightly with foil and braise in middle of oven 4 hours. Sauerkraut may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead, cooled, uncovered, and chilled, covered with plastic wrap. Reheat sauerkraut before proceeding.
• If desired, in a heavy skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and in batches brown sausages. Add sausages and pork loin to sauerkraut, partially submerging them. Braise sausages and sauerkraut, covered tightly with foil, in middle of oven 30 minutes and transfer with a slotted spoon to a heated platter, discarding bay leaves if desired. (Do not eat bay leaves if leaving as garnish.)