Homemade sauerkraut for holiday tables starts now
By Martha Thomas
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
When Doug Wetzel sat down for Thanksgiving dinner soon after he moved to Petaluma, Calif., he surveyed the table. His hosts, who owned the artisanal bakery where he worked, seemed to have everything right: "turkey and stuffing and oven-roasted Brussels sprouts." But when Wetzel asked for the sauerkraut, he says, "they all looked at me like I was crazy."
Wetzel, 26, grew up in Baltimore, where fermented cabbage is as commonplace as cranberry sauce for the November holiday, even for those without German names. "I knew better than to ask for candied yams with marshmallows" at such a spread, says Wetzel, now pastry chef for Gertrude's restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art. "But the fact that there was no sauerkraut was kind of a shock."
Richard Kissling, chief officer of A.C. Kissling Sauerkraut in Philadelphia, says his Charm City sales surge each year in early November to five or six times the usual volume. "In Baltimore, it's just one of those traditions," he says. "I don't understand it."
The city's German immigrants accounted for about a quarter of its residents in 1863, when Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. They brought their everyday dish of sauerkraut to the New World. "Whenever people would get together for a special occasion, sauerkraut would be involved," says William Woys Weaver, Pennsylvania food historian and author of the book "Sauerkraut Yankees."
Sauerkraut-based dishes on Baltimore's Thanksgiving sideboards might include a bowl of the stuff straight from a bag or jar, braised sauerkraut with apples and bacon, or sauerkraut with ground pork, rolled in cabbage leaves. Sauerkraut can even be used for stuffing the bird.
Plenty of Baltimore natives with Baltic roots remember a mother or grandmother brewing sauerkraut in a container in the basement. When Marc Attman of Attman's Deli was 9 years old, he was given the job of chopping cabbage for the sauerkraut served there. The finished product would sit in a barrel in front of the store, Attman says, "and if someone wanted to try it, they'd just stick in their fingers and take a little bit." Now the deli gets its kraut from Pennsylvania, and if someone wants a taste, "we get out the rubber gloves and the tongs," he says.
Much has changed in the world; sauerkraut, it seems, has not. Weaver says fermented cabbage can be traced to the Byzantine Empire. It shows up in cultures all over the world, with close relatives in dishes such as Korean kimchi. High in vitamin C, the fermented cabbage is a breeding ground for lactobacillus, which helps with human digestion. It's a more earthy source of the probiotic than, say, the Activia yogurt hawked in television commercials by Jamie Lee Curtis. Generally available for less than $1 per pound, sauerkraut is relatively cheap nutrition.
Though it involves only cabbage and salt, preparing sauerkraut at home requires a lot of planning. The process can take anywhere from three to eight weeks, depending on the temperature and a willingness to put up with the beery smell of fermenting leaves.
Bonnie North, leader of the Baltimore chapter of Slow Food USA, has been dubbed "Kraut Mother" by the staff at Gertrude's for her willingness to monitor four large, new plastic garbage cans of fermenting kraut in her basement. The finished product is served at the restaurant's annual Kraut Fest, held in early January.
In a week or so, staff members at Gertrude's will start their annual process: shredding about 200 pounds of cabbage, tossing it with sea salt, then placing it in the 30-gallon containers a few inches at a time, mashing each layer to crush the membrane of the leaf until juice oozes out. The containers are then hauled to North's basement.
"There's no water involved," North says. But as the lactobacillus eats away at the cabbage, natural liquids are released and bubble to the top. Every few days, North ventures down to her smelly cellar and dismantles the setup of each can: the heavy pail of water acting as a compressing weight on the large container, the clean plastic bag that keeps air out, the soaked napkins directly on the cabbage itself (which she either replaces or rinses). She then skims off any liquid and foam from the mixture beneath, checking that everything is the way it should be: moist but not soupy. "I taste it to make sure it isn't rancid and then close it up again," she says.
Gertrude's Kraut Fest started about six years ago, when the restaurant's chef, John Shields, hired a sous-chef from Croatia. Shields, who delights in talking about his German grandmother, Gertie (for whom the restaurant is named), found a comrade in Tomislav Niksic. Niksic's own grandmother, Maria, had helped her village after it lost most of its men in World War II by taking on the strenuous task of pounding cabbage to make sauerkraut. "She also went around the village helping people butcher the pigs," Niksic says.
While sharing Granny stories, the two found that, though their kraut-prep methods differed slightly, the outcome was the same. They decided to have a sauerkraut cook-off of sorts, each contributing recipes. What began as a couple of chafing dishes in Gertrude's bar area has evolved into a two-night party, with the restaurant closed for regular business to clear a space for dancing to live polka music. The menu of sauerkraut dishes includes vegan pasta, bratwurst and sauerkraut ice cream, with German beer to wash it all down.
Niksic, now the chef at Le Meridien Hotel near Split, Croatia, says the main difference between the sauerkraut made in his grandmother's mountain village and the American version is that in his country, heads of cabbage are packed whole between layers of shredded cabbage. There's also a variation he calls "winter salad," in which pickled carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and peppers are part of the mix.
In Croatia, the barrels are stored in the cellar. Some dirt-floored cellars were dug deeper than usual to ensure a cool, dark fermenting spot. Late-harvest cabbage with tight leaves was best for the job, so kraut generally was started in late autumn, at the time hogs were slaughtered. "People also started making their brandy then," Niksic says. "November was a time of hard work." By late December, the meat was cured, the brandy was ready and the sauerkraut had reached its peak, just in time for Christmas. "Like everywhere in the world, a celebration means a full table," says Niksic.
And in some places, a holiday table isn't really full without sauerkraut.
Martha Thomas is a Baltimore-based freelance writer who previously had encountered sauerkraut only on her hot dogs at Fenway Park.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110300596.html
Gertie's Sauerkraut and Apples
The Washington Post, November 4, 2009
- • Course: Side Dish
Summary:
For an uptown version of this dish, substitute 2 cups dry champagne for the beer and add 1 teaspoon minced ginger to the onion and apples as they cook.
8 generous servings
Ingredients:
- • 12 ounces beer
- • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick) or olive oil
- • 4 slices uncooked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces (optional)
- • 1 small onion, cut into thin slices (3/4 cup)
- • 3 medium (about 1 1/2 pounds) tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
- • 32 ounces homemade or store-bought sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- • Salt
- • Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Pour the beer into a liquid measuring cup and allow it to go flat.
Meanwhile, melt the butter or heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. If using bacon, add it now and cook for a few minutes to render its fat, then add the onion and apples; mix to coat evenly. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the onion and apples have softened slightly.
Add the sauerkraut; use tongs to incorporate with the onion and apples, then add the beer and caraway seeds. Mix well; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and reduce the heat to medium or medium-low so the liquid barely bubbles at the edges. Cook for 45 minutes; use tongs to move the sauerkraut around occasionally, until the apples are quite soft and the sauerkraut has mellowed. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve warm.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from John Shields, chef at Gertrude’s in Baltimore.
224 calories, 15g fat, 3g saturated fat, 8mg cholesterol, 796mg sodium, 17g carbohydrates, 5g dietary fiber, 9g sugar, 2g protein.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: Per serving (using olive oil) | |
| Calories: 224 | |
| % Daily Values* | |
| Total Fat: 15g | 23 |
| Saturated Fat: 3g | 15 |
| Cholesterol: 8mg | 3 |
| Sodium: 796mg | 33 |
| Total Carbohydrates: 17g | 6 |
| Dietary Fiber: 5g | 20 |
| Sugar: 9g | |
| Protein: 2g | |
| *Percent Daily Value based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. | ||
| Total Fat: | Less than | 65g |
| Saturated Fat: | Less than | 20g |
| Cholesterol: | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium: | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrates: | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber: | 25g | |
Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick for The Washington Post.
E-mail the Food Section at food@washpost.com with recipe questions.
Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake
The Washington Post, November 4, 2009
- • Course: Dessert
Summary:
This cake is rich and dense; the sauerkraut gives it a slight bite. Serve it unfrosted, or spread it with a simple buttercream frosting.
MAKE AHEAD: The cake can be cooled completely, then wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month.
Makes two 8-inch, single-layer cakes (16 servings)
Ingredients:
- • 10 2/3 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 2/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
- • 2 1/4 cups flour, plus more for the pans
- • 1 1/2 cups sugar
- • 3 large eggs
- • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- • 1 teaspoon baking powder
- • 1/2 teaspoon salt
- • 1 teaspoon baking soda
- • 1 cup water
- • 2/3 cup homemade or store-bought sauerkraut, rinsed, drained and finely chopped
Directions:
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Use a little butter to grease two 8-inch cake pans; then flour them, shaking out any excess flour. If desired, place 8-inch circles of parchment paper or wax paper in the bottom of each pan.
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition, and the vanilla extract.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper.
Reduce the speed to low; add the flour mixture alternately with the water, beating until smooth.
Use a spatula to fold in the drained, chopped sauerkraut until well incorporated. Divide the thick batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans, leveling the surfaces.
Place both pans on the middle rack and bake for about 30 minutes or until the cakes spring back lightly when touched. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from a recipe by John Shields of Gertrude's in Baltimore.
226 calories, 9g fat, 6g saturated fat, 60mg cholesterol, 221mg sodium, 34g carbohydrates, 2g dietary fiber, 19g sugar, 4g protein.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: Per serving | |
| Calories: 226 | |
| % Daily Values* | |
| Total Fat: 9g | 14 |
| Saturated Fat: 6g | 30 |
| Cholesterol: 60mg | 20 |
| Sodium: 221mg | 9 |
| Total Carbohydrates: 34g | 11 |
| Dietary Fiber: 2g | 8 |
| Sugar: 19g | |
| Protein: 4g | |
| *Percent Daily Value based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. | ||
| Total Fat: | Less than | 65g |
| Saturated Fat: | Less than | 20g |
| Cholesterol: | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium: | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrates: | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber: | 25g | |
E-mail the Food Section at food@washpost.com with recipe questions.
All sauerkraut, all the time
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
-- Saveur magazine includes a simple sauerkraut recipe in its current issue. The basic recipe found online at the National Center for Home Food Preservation calls for 25 pounds of cabbage with 3/4 cup salt and yields nine quarts of sauerkraut. Chef John Shields of Gertrude's in Baltimore says that, following the same directions, 10 pounds of cabbage with 6 tablespoons of salt should yield four to five quarts.
-- To prevent scurvy in the 1700s, British explorer Capt. James Cook's provisions included "40 bushels of malt, 1000 lb of portable soup, vinegar, mustard, wheat, together with 'proper Quantities of sauer Kraut."
-- In the introduction to his 1996 book, "Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom," Sidney Mintz writes evocatively about his Belarus-born father's cabbage and sauerkraut soup. Mintz, a professor of anthropology at Johns Hopkins University, recalls his father's stories about digging deep trenches to line with wood for curing kraut when he was serving in the czar's army. "Once a soldier fell in and drowned in the sauerkraut," Mintz says.
-- During World War I, sauerkraut was rebranded as "liberty cabbage" to counter anti-German sentiment. Years later, Baltimore native H.L. Mencken wrote about it in his column called Table Words, published in the New York American and Los Angeles Examiner, Dec. 24, 1934: "When, during the World War, certain super-patriots went about the country seeking to extirpate every vestige of the German Kultur, they quickly collided with sauerkraut and were bested by it. Unable to induce Americans to stop eating it, they tried to change its name to liberty cabbage, but the only reply was a laugh, and it went on under its original colors."
-- The next Kraut Fest will take place Jan. 9-10 at Gertrude's at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr., 410-889-3399. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door; there will be a cash bar.
-- Martha Thomas
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