Sunday, August 24, 2008

Sauerkraut...not just for Bavarians anymore


Yeah, this is kind of a lame post. I haven't been eating very many new things lately. I've just been very blah when it comes to food. If y'all have any food suggestions, please let me know!

So, did you grow up eating sauerkraut? i did not. Or, at least, i don't remember eating it. Perhaps my mother tried feeding it to me and i recoiled in disgust. But the first time i remember eating it was when i was about 13 and i was in ohio at my aunt's house and my sister was just eating it out of a cup with a fork. i think i tasted it and was just not impressed.

A few years later, my sister, her husband, and i were living next door to my parents in their rental house. We had a New Years meal (which we now have every year) of kale with black eyed peas (a Nava Atlas recipe that is totally delicious), mashed potatoes and sauerkraut with vegan bratwursts. I became enamored with sauerkraut after that. When i lived in Germany for a year i became acquainted with red(rote) sauerkraut, which is sweeter, usually made with cloves, and is very delicious with mixed in with mashed taters. (isn't everything good with mashed potatoes?)

I moved in with my current roommate in February and that's when i found out we have a common love: sauerkraut. Although her love definitely surpasses mine, no question. We always keep some kraut in the fridge and when our friend Redhead Anna comes over we bond over our sauerkraut love.

We find that we like the nonraw kind. Like, there's this brand called Bubbies and we found that it's too crunchy for our liking. i don't know if it's usually cooked, but this kind keeps it's cabbage crunch. We normally get Eden's(above....obviously), but really any will do. This past weekend i made BeerBQ (from Let's Get Sconed....see links) sandwiches and i ate one with sauerkraut on it and it was delicious!

And, oh my goodness, i was looking through Flickr for sauerkraut picture and i came across Potato, Sauerkraut and Soy Cheese Casserole....that sounds so damn good! see it for yourself: http://www.vegalicious.org/2006/11/30/potato-sauerkraut-and-soy-cheese-casserole/