As soon as Chilebrown mentioned the smoked jalapeño sauerkraut, I had to have some.It could have been a disaster, but it's not. It's wonderful. A little smoky, but not creepy. A little hot, but not a lot. Bits of carrot and onion in with the cabbage. Good sour.
So, this is summer, right? (Though you wouldn't know it around here; I'm wearing a fleece jacket and thrifty socks.) Instead of eating the sauerkraut in some warming dish (which I should have, but there's still some left), I whipped up a sauerkraut salad.
If you haven't heard of sauerkraut salad, that probably sounds weird. Until you think about it: vegetables and pickley juices. Mm!
I just augmented it with copious shavings of gently cooked corn, and a nicely diced tomato. Oh, and for color, a handful of chopped leaves from the purslane weed that is providing about the only edible food so far in my garden. A good splash of olive oil.
Wow. OK? Wow.
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22 comments:
Why is sauerkraut so delicious and stinky at the same time? Is it less stinky when it's served cool?
Spiteful: You are officially my friend for loving sauerkraut.
Served cool, still stinky! Yay.
So wonderfully colorful! That's as pretty a plate as I've seen in a month of Sundays.
Zoomie: Thanks! Yeah, like one of dad's old Kodachromes. Heh.
Sauerkraut and jalapeños? I think I've died and gone to heaven.
Kailyn: I KNOW! You can get it locally; we found ours at Whole Foods in the refrigerated section (where the sauerkraut is, duh). Enjoy.
A story about fermented crucifers that is true: One time I was eating kimchee on rice for lunch (this is basically Korean sauerkraut) and someone walked by my office waving their hand in front of their face saying, "gah! what stinks?" I then felt obliged to send out an email to my whole department apologizing for making the entire floor smell like ass.
...or so I thought. I actually sent it to Corporate Headquarters. (dum dum DUM!) I guess they all got a kick out of it, though, and later I met some of those folks for the first time and they all knew me as "that ass-smelling lunch person."
I love a little spicy in my kraut. Plus this reminds me of Grandma's chow chow. Oh, I hope that's a thing you know about.
Heather: Who is Grandma? Does this explain you?
Came back from lunch to catch my brother inlaw drinking sauerkraut juice, straight from a bottle. Helps digestion he says.
Love you linguist. I believe you and I are the only ones in the world that don't use "Smokey" the Bear as a term for a flavor.
xo, Biggles
Do You Have a Sauerkraut Stomper?
I had never heard of spicy sauerkraut but now I must try it out. I love sour and I love hot and spicy so it's a must for my palate.
I never was a sauerkraut fan til now. That was good stuff. Next vacation I am going to the Thursday market and picking up some more.
Biggles: If sauerkraut is made with real fermentation, not just vinegar and salt, it is supposed to be good for the digestion, and a whole lot more.
(I read your rant on smoky/smokey. You think I was going to make that mistake with you watching?)
Kudzu: You got me. I had to go look up sauerkraut stomper. Apparently I have the next best thing, a plastic mallet that was included with some-assembly-required furniture and now lives in the gadget drawer, in case I ever need to flatten meat or stomp cabbage. Haw!
Nancy: They have a few versions; you can find it in the refrigerated case at Whole Foods. (We must have similar palates!)
Chilebrown: Thanks to you for discovering it! Not to thwart one of your Food Adventures, but you can find it at Whole Foods... And you get $2 back when you return the crock.
Man I bet that would look and taste good on a hot dog. Stinky but good!
Greg: It is all but DESIGNED for a hot dog. Forget your slaw throw down!
Oh my..you sly little..you really know how to keep the fires of my love affair with all things fermented stoked Cookiecrumb. I love Sauerkraut but only know to put it on the traditional things (hot dogs, pierogies, pork chops...).
Your gorgeous picture with it's glistening gem tones caught me off guard. It is one of those things where you think "Why didn't I think of that" as soon as you've read it but it would have never occurred to you. This is going on my regular rotation NOW.
PS. Rev. Biggles has it right about the digestion. I had been craving KimChi, Sauerkraut, Anything Pickled etc...the entire year before I got diagnosed with liver disease w/my Lupus. The Docs said my body was craving the natural foods that detoxify the digestion system. Eat on!!
Shine: I am pleased to suggest a new (to you) way to devour fermented foods! Also, it's very, very easy to make your own sauerkraut. If you're interested. Google it.
Lupus is tough; hope you're doing well.
I grew up around sauerkraut. My father's Latvian family had it at each holiday function. It was slow cooked and always had a little brown sugar and kielbasa involved. I turned my nose up at the kraut for years (I'd only eat the kielbasa) and dreaded my father's insistence that I try it each year to see if my taste buds had changed their minds. I thought this was crazy, but he was right. They did change. I love it now and I don't eat it often enough. Sauerkraut salad seems like a pretty cool idea. I'll have to give it a try. I better link over to that smoked jalepeno version too. I'm definitely intrigued.
My Grandma Laverne was the puttin' up queen! She also taught me to cook every vegetable with bacon and vinegar.
Denise: Latvian pickling chops, eh? That's a lucky heritage. I've been cooking sauerkraut lately with insane aromatics. The other day it was a shake of cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla extract! With bacon, onion and potatoes... well, your head blows up.
Heather: Again with the lucky heritage. My grandmother did not preserve food as far as I know, and she lived through the Depression with her four children. Probably just walking around moaning, constantly pissed off. My mom thinks home-preserved food is rustic and quaint and not something a lady would bother with.
Shine...it's Sweetpa...
Please tell me about your lupus...I am struggling. What should I eat/ I love saur kraut!
Cookiecrumb...I'm new...Sweetpea
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