Anyone who likes to try traditional dishes and specialties from different countries and get to know new cooking traditions cannot simply ignore the French Choucroute. The Alsatian Sauerkraut Choucroute is a hearty and popular French dish that is very aromatic, tasty and digestible thanks to the typical, regional ingredients. Below we offer you 3 Choucroute recipe ideas with which you can offer your family and guests a real culinary delight.
What is Choucroute?
Choucroute means sauerkraut in French and is a dish that combines different flavors into a particularly harmonious ensemble. It consists ofaromatic sauerkrautcombined with various types of salted meat and crispy sausages. The delicate taste of Alsatian wine, the goose fat, the fragrant juniper and the golden potatoes give the Alsatian sauerkraut a distinctive taste and an appetizing scent. We have selected three different Choucroute recipe ideas for you, namely a recipe for Choucroute Royale and one for Choucroute de la mer.
Royal sauerkraut with meat
This recipe can be found in different versions. The following recipe is made with Alsatian Riesling. Otherwise you can for this delicious andhearty foodUse Champagne or Cremant d'Alsace ou de Bourgogne.
Ingredients for 6-8 servings
- 2 kg fine sauerkraut
- 200 g of goose fat
- 3 large onions
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 8 cloves
- 15 juniper berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 L Alsatian Riesling
- 1/4 L vegetable broth
- Sea salt and pepper
- 1 kg cured, smoked boneless pork shoulder or smoked pork shoulder
- 400g smoked bacon
- 6 sausages (e.g. Vienna sausage)
- 250 g coarse ham sausages
- 6 thick slices of ham
- 1 small pork knuckle
- 6 potatoes
First, cut the onions into thin slices. Depending on the salt content, rinse the sauerkraut 2-3 times with cold water and squeeze it lightly. Put the goose meat and onions in a very large cauldron or pot and fry everything. Add the spices and spread the sauerkraut on top. Now pour the Riesling and vegetable bouillon over everything and season with salt and pepper. Once the sauerkraut is well heated, you can layer the meat and sausages on top and top up with a little more broth and wine if necessary.
Put the lid on and let everything simmer gently for 1-1.5 hours. 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, you can add the peeled, whole potatoes and cook with them. If you like, you can also cook the potatoes separately and fry the bacon in a pan. Arrange on a large platter. So everyone can get whatever they like.
Alsatian choucroute from the Römertopf
Below you will find another variant that is undoubtedly one of the best and tastiest recipe ideas.
Ingredients:
- 750 g pork neck
- 100 g Bьcon slices
- 1 Mettwurst, smoked
- 500g potatoes
- 1 can sauerkraut
- 250 ml white wine
- 2 tbsp oil for frying
- 3 onions
- 1 Soloknoblauch
- 1 tbsp juniper berries
- 6 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
First water the Roman pot. In the meantime, cut the meat and onions into large cubes and dice the garlic. Rinse sauerkraut and squeeze out a little. Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Now fry the pieces of meat, add the onions and finally the garlic for a minute. Place half of the bacon slices in the Roman pot and spread half of the sauerkraut with 3 bay leaves and half a tablespoon of juniper berries. Distribute the potato slices slightly overlapping the sauerkraut layer and season with salt and pepper. Distribute the meat among the potatoes and place the Mettwurst between the pieces of meat. Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients and place the bacon strips on top. Boil the roasting mixture with the wine and pour it over it. Put the lid on and put it in the cold oven. Cook at 200 degrees for 2 hours.
Recipe ideas with seafood and fish – Choucroute de la mer recipe
Attached you will find a gourmet menuRecipe with fishand seafood, which is in no way inferior to the classic version with meat. Of course, the types of fish listed can be replaced with others to taste.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 kg Sauerkraut
- 1 kg potato, small and waxy
- 1 large onion
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- a few stalks of parsley, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, cut into large cubes
- some butter
- 3 glasses of dry white wine
- Water or vegetable broth
- 3 bay leaves
- Juniper berries
- 400 g Prawns
- 250 g smoked salmon
- 500 g Cod fillet
- 1 kg mussels
For the sauce:
- 250 g shallots, finely chopped
- 1 Becker Crème fraîche
- 1 THE BUTTER
- If necessary, a little dry white wine
- 2 heaped tablespoons chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper
For the recipe you will again need a very large pot. First, fry the onions in butter until translucent. Then add the carrot cubes and cook the vegetables with the lid closed with a little water until al dente. Then add the sauerkraut, bay leaves and juniper berries and pour in the Riesling. Cover and simmer everything for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, cook the potatoes in salted water and then add them to the cabbage.
To make the sauce, sauté the shallots in butter until translucent. Now add the Riesling until covered and cook for a quarter of an hour until soft. Add the crème fraîche and season with salt and pepper. To give the sauce a creamy consistency, you can briefly puree everything with a hand blender. Keep sauce warm. Just before serving, you can fold in the parsley.
Wash and clean the mussels and drain them well. Fry the chopped shallots in butter in a large pot. Add the mussels, pour in wine or water and cook the mussels for 8-10 minutes. Save the broth. Cut the fish into large pieces and poach in the mussel stock. Now add the fish pieces to the sauerkraut. Roll the smoked salmon and also place it on the cabbage. Rinse the shrimp, drain them and fry them in olive oil. Now add the garlic and fry until the prawns are pink.The delicious shrimpsalso serve on the cabbage. If possible, keep the choucroute de la mer warm in the steamer.
The three Choucroute recipe ideas do not involve any difficult steps and require a short preparation time. When it comes to this delicious French specialty, the most time-consuming task is actually the long shopping list. A little patience is required during the cooking time, but the result is definitely worth it.
