Hard Cider Braised Sausages With Sauerkraut Food

BRAISED BOCKWURST AND WARM VEGETABLE-HARD CIDER 'KRAUT WITH GERMAN STYLE POTATOES

Steps:

• Halve larger potatoes and leave small potatoes as is, cover with water, bring to a boil, season with salt and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Place sausages in a cast iron skillet, add 1/2-inch of water and a drizzle of oil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and let the sausages heat through as the water evaporates. Shake pan and let the casings crisp up until they burst, 3 to 4 minutes, and are golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• While sausages and potatoes cook, cut cabbage half into half again and trim away the core with an angled cut. Shred the cabbage very thinly with your knife and reserve. Place the shredder blade in your food processor. Peel the carrots and trim the root end. Trim the celery, and peel and quarter the red onion lengthwise. Peel the apple and quarter lengthwise then cut away the core as you did the cabbage. Using the processor, shred the carrots, celery, onion and apple, through the feed tube, removing from bowl as necessary.
• In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Season the mixture with bay leaf, grill seasoning or coarse salt and pepper, and caraway seeds. Saute 7 to 8 minutes, tossing frequently.
• While cabbage cooks, put a medium skillet on the stove with a drizzle of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add chopped bacon and render 2 to 3 minutes then stir in the yellow onion and cook for 5 minutes with the bacon to soften.
• Add hard cider to cabbage mixture and reduce for 30 seconds. Stir in the mustard and turn off the heat. Discard the bay leaf.
• When potatoes are cooked, drain and add to bacon and onion. Douse the pan with vinegar and sprinkle with sugar. Pour stock evenly over pan, add the parsley and some pepper and turn off the heat. Stir the potatoes 1 minute to form a starchy sauce and combine flavors.
• Halve crispy sausages and serve on generous bed of cabbage, with the potatoes alongside.
• Serve with hard cider or white Belgian ale with orange wedge.

CHOUCROUTE ROYALE (BRAISED SAUERKRAUT)

Steps:

• Drain the sauerkraut and soak in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes. Taking it by small handfuls, squeeze out as much water as you can. Pick it apart to separate the strands.
• Remove the rind and slice the bacon into 1/2 inch cubes about 2 inches long. Simmer it in 1 quart of water for 10 minutes and drain.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Cook bacon, carrots, and onions in butter slowly in the covered casserole for 10 minutes without browning. Stir in the sauerkraut and when itis well covered with the fat and vegetables, cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes more.
• Bury the herbs and spices in the saurkraut. Pour in the wine, and enough stock to just cover the sauerkraut. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Lay a buttered round of wax paper on top of sauerkraut. Cover and set in the middle of preheated oven. Simmer slowly for 3 1/2 hours.
• Brown assorted meats in skillet. Bury them in the casserole while the sauerkraut is still braising.
• Continue to simmer in oven for another 1 1/2hours. (5 hours total).

SAUSAGES WITH CIDER AND SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Prick sausages several times with the tip of a small knife. Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown sausages, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
• Add remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons butter to skillet along with onion, bay leaves, caraway seeds, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut, cider, and sugar, then nestle sausages into mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes.

BEER-BRAISED SAUSAGES AND SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a large bowl soak sauerkraut in cold water to cover 20 minutes, changing water once halfway through soaking.
• While sauerkraut is soaking, in a large heavy skillet cook bacon pieces over moderate heat, stirring, until golden.
• Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons drippings and add onions to bacon.
• Cook mixture, stirring, until onions are softened.
• Drain sauerkraut well in a colander, pressing out excess liquid, and in a large flameproof roasting pan combine with bacon mixture, carrots, beer, broth, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns.
• Bring sauerkraut mixture to a boil on top of stove and boil 1 minute.
• Cover pan tightly with foil and braise in middle of oven 4 hours.
• Sauerkraut may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead, cooled, uncovered, and chilled, covered with plastic wrap. Reheat sauerkraut before proceeding.
• If desired, in a heavy skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and in batches brown sausages.
• Add sausages and pork loin to sauerkraut, partially submerging them.
• Braise sausages and sauerkraut, covered tightly with foil, in middle of oven 30 minutes and transfer with a slotted spoon to a heated platter, discarding bay leaves if desired. (Do not eat bay leaves if leaving as garnish.).

BEER-BRAISED SAUSAGES AND SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a large bowl soak sauerkraut in cold water to cover 20 minutes, changing water once halfway through soaking.
• While sauerkraut is soaking, in a large heavy skillet cook bacon pieces over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons drippings and add onions to bacon. Cook mixture, stirring, until onions are softened.
• Drain sauerkraut well in a colander, pressing out excess liquid, and in a large flameproof roasting pan combine with bacon mixture, carrots, beer, broth, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns. Bring sauerkraut mixture to a boil on top of stove and boil 1 minute. Cover pan tightly with foil and braise in middle of oven 4 hours. Sauerkraut may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead, cooled, uncovered, and chilled, covered with plastic wrap. Reheat sauerkraut before proceeding.
• If desired, in a heavy skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and in batches brown sausages. Add sausages and pork loin to sauerkraut, partially submerging them. Braise sausages and sauerkraut, covered tightly with foil, in middle of oven 30 minutes and transfer with a slotted spoon to a heated platter, discarding bay leaves if desired. (Do not eat bay leaves if leaving as garnish.)

CIDER-BRAISED SAUSAGES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
• 2. In a shallow flame-proof casserole, cook bacon over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until it starts to crisp and has rendered its fat. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon; set aside on a large plate. Add sausages to casserole; cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning often, until browned (sausages won't be thoroughly cooked at this point). Remove sausages from the casserole; set aside with bacon. Drain off all but 2 tbsp fat from the casserole.
• 3. Add onion to casserole; cook, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Add garlic; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in flour; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually stir in cider, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the casserole. Return the bacon and sausages to the casserole, add the Worcestershire sauce, sage, bay leaf and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover for about 40 minutes, until sausages are cooked through.
• 4. Remove the sausages from the casserole; set aside and keep warm. On stove top, boil the cooking juices in the casserole over medium-high for about 5 minutes or until they are reduced and slightly thickened. Season with salt and more pepper if necessary. Return the sausages to the casserole; garnish with sage when serving.