Braised Sauerkraut & Bratwurst--Dinner for $6

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

What an easy and great dinner we had tonight. We love sauerkraut and this recipe is one that I cut out from Parade Magazine in January 1983. Julia Child created it and we love it.

Sauerkraut is shredded green cabbage that is layered with salt and weighted down in a crock until it ferments. This was an ancient way of preservation. Sauerkraut has a distinct, sour taste that blends wonderfully with pork. You can find sauerkraut bagged in the deli section like I did or bottled (or make your own!). Julia's note in 1983 says to not buy sauerkraut with sugar added and that Dutch or German types are preferred.

This recipe will serve 4.

1 lb sauerkraut
1 1/2 c sliced onions
1/2 c dry white wine or vermouth
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/4 t each caraway seeds and thyme
 pepper
1 bay leaf

Start by draining the sauerkraut in a colander and rinsing with cold water. Then soak the kraut in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse, soak again. Repeat this 3 or 4 times--each time makes it less sour.  Drain one last time and squeeze by handfuls to remove excess water then fluff up the stands (Julia's words).

While the kraut is soaking, simmer the onions and wine/vermouth (or chicken broth) in a heavy casserole for 8-10 minutes or until quite tender. Add in the remaining ingredients and simmer slowly for 30 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.

For my dinner tonight, I cut 1 lb of fresh made bratwurst into 3" lengths, browned for 10 minutes and added to the sauerkraut. Place the covered oven proof dish into a 400 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes.

Along with the sauerkraut and bratwurst, I roasted some broccoli. I tossed cut broccoli pieces with olive oil and salt and pepper and roasted at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.  For this dinner, the bratwurst was $3, the sauerkraut $1, another $1 for the broccoli and $1 for onion, seasonings, olive oil, and chicken stock. Dinner for $6.

As Julia would say, bon appetit!