Mother’s Austrian-Style Wine Sauerkraut

This recipe is simple, but delicious. The apple and caraway seed give it a really nice flavor and it makes a good accompaniment to any German-style food.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 5

Ingredients

• 32  ounces sauerkraut, washed under cold water
• 3⁄8 cup butter or 3⁄8 cup margarine or 3⁄8 bacon fat
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup sugar (to taste)
• 1  large Red Delicious apple
• 1  tablespoon caraway seed
• 2  cups dry white wine or 2  cups cooking wine
• 1  lb bacon (optional)

Directions

1. Chop peeled apple into roughly bite sized cubes; set aside.
2. Chop onion; set aside.
3. Measure out butter or margarine, sugar, caraway seed and wine and have ready in separate containers to add at appropriate time.
4. In large, deep skillet, melt butter over medium heat. When heated add caraway seed and onion. Sauté three to four minutes until onion starts to get translucent.
5. Add apple cubes in with onion and butter and caraway. Cover frying pan and with heat between medium and high, let the apple and onion caramelize for about five minutes or however long it takes to see the onion and apple start to brown. The heat will also bring out the flavor of the caraway seed.
6. When onion and apple have become soft and starting to brown, add sugar and mix onion and apple and sugar until they are evenly
7. mixed. Let sauté another minute to get the sugar into the other ingredients.
8. Add the sauerkraut and with cooking tongs and a spoon, gently toss sauerkraut in the butter, fruit and onions and caraway seed mixture until it is evenly distributed and coated.
9. Deglaze with white wine and again stir around until it is all mixed.
10. Cover the skillet, reduce to simmer and let the sauerkraut steam for another 10-15 minutes on simmer, letting the flavors thoroughly blend.
11. Adjust for balance between sweet and sour. If too sweet, add a bit of sauerkraut juice and stir it inches If too sour, add a bit more sugar to a ½ cup of hot water and dissolve, mixing that into kraut.
12. Cover and let sauerkraut simmer a few minutes more to let it blend.
13. **Note: if you want you can fry bacon in small strips until crisp. Retain 3;8 cup of bacon fat and use instead of margarine (as per recipe above). You can then cook the sauerkraut, onion, apples and caraway seed in bacon fat then follow the other steps of the recipe same as above.
14. Crumble the bacon into the sauerkraut at the last minute before serving and toss.