HozOboz presents today a cult recipe of Alsatian cuisine - choukrut, which will be to the taste of all lovers of pickled (fermented) and stewed vegetables, flavored with an abundance of meat products.
In Europe, the Germans have always been leaders in the cultivation of cabbage, as well as in the preparation of a large assortment of dishes from this vegetable, the cruciferous family. But the first written mention of a special sauerkraut was found in French archives in the 15th century, and in the 16th century it could be found in almost all monastic refectory books.
The classic choucrute, whose recipe has been protected by a special geographical right since 2012, along with Parmegiano Reggiano cheese, champagne, cognac, Parma ham and other world-famous products, has precisely these, German and French, long historical roots.
A special commission has identified a number of features by which fresh cabbage shukrut has the right to such a name:
Since hozOboz is not located in Alsace, but it is very curious to try cabbage shukrut according to a recipe close to the original, all the requirements of the Alsatians approved in 2012 will be violated, because not Alsatian, but local farm products produced thousands of kilometers from Alsace.
We will prepare all the necessary products, including spices and seasonings.
Put the pieces of pork and smoked pork ribs in a saucepan.
Cut all the roots into small cubes. We clean the chile from seeds and also chop it smaller.
Put the crushed roots, as well as bay leaf, chili and clove inflorescences into a special strainer, close the sieve and place it in the pork broth.
We put a pot on the fire and drown goose fat in it.
In melted fat, fry the diced onion.
Add carrots cut into circles to the onion.
We throw garlic cloves divided into quarters into the passerovka.
Add pork cheeks cut into strips.
In the meantime, mugs of boiled sausage, preferably baby or creamy, should be added to the meat broth.
Take out the boiled pork and ribs from the broth and place them in a saute.
It is necessary, while stirring, to brown all the meat ingredients well.
Place chopped fresh or sauerkraut on top of the fried ruddy meat. If you add fresh cabbage, as we did, do not forget to acidify the dish with apple wine.
Add dogwood.
It's time to season the choukrut with spices.
Place pieces of the remaining smoked meats on top (homemade baked sausage, boiled-smoked pork ham and mugs of creamy sausage boiled in broth.
The last layer will be cabbage again.
Pour apple wine for acid.
As the wine boils away, do not forget to add it.
Well, that's all the shukrut with fresh cabbage is ready, it's time to put it on plates and garnish with boiled potatoes. The same apple wine with which we stewed it goes especially well with shukrut.
Bon appetite.
As part of this dish, vegetables and meat products are successfully combined in a large assortment, which allows us to talk about the balance of fiber and protein. Shukrut is an optimally high-calorie dish that decreases in calories due to the high content of low-calorie cabbage. Natural apple wine is a source of iron, and carrots in goose fat are a good way to get digestible carotene.
Choukrut Alternatives
In addition to dry white grape wine, sparkling and apple wines, with the same composition of ingredients, beer can also be used, getting a completely different taste of choukrut. You can experiment with meat products, achieving some new notes in a popular dish prepared based on Alsatian cuisine. Or try to find an opportunity to travel to some Alsatian village to cook up a classic version with local products, learning the taste that has been cultivated for several centuries. HozOboz hopes you enjoyed Alsatian cuisine and the opportunity to experiment with the products available in your market. Now you have all the instructions to make delicious choukrut. Have a great gastronomic experience!