Pork Chops & Sauerkraut

 

I have always adored Sauerkraut.  My grandfather used to make his own and kept it in a crock down in the cellar of their home. My mother often told the story of her being ill as a child and her Grandmother giving her some of the brine from off the sauerkraut on a spoon, and how it made her better.

 

My mom would cook us a mess of it, every now and then when I was a child.  Sometimes with chunks of ham, other times with pork, sometimes with pickled pork (my favourite!), sometimes even frankfurters.  Always with mashed potatoes on the side. 

 

My favourite way to eat it was to take my mashed potatoes, top them with a knob of butter and then mash the kraut into the potatoes!  I love everything about sauerkraut . . .  the smell when its cooking, the taste . . .  everything. It is one of my favourite things!

 

Back home you can buy it in waxed cartons (just like milk cartons) and you can also buy turnip kraut in the same way. (also delicious)  Most of it comes from the South Shore (Nova Scotia), around Lunenburg/Bridgewater way.  A  lot of Germans settled in that area.  And my Grandfather in fact came from an area known as New Germany.

 

This is one of my favourite ways to cook it now.  Your pork chops end up deliciously tender  . . .  and the sauerkraut gets flavoured a bit from the pork. Num num!

 

I also add onion and apple to the sauerkraut  . . .  and bacon.  Mmmm . . .  bacon.

 

I add a touch of caraway seed as well, but you can leave it out if it is not to your taste and you don't like it. Some people are not fond of caraway I know . . . 

 

This time I had ultra thick bone in loin chops that I had bought at Costco one time. I only used two of them and there was plenty for us to enjoy for two meals.  I think the meat at Costco is beautiful.  I have never been disappointed.

  

Of course, just as in childhood . . .  I accompanied this delicious entree with some fluffy white mashed potatoes.

 

We had the leftovers for dinner the day after and if anything they tasted even better. That is often the way with things like this.

  

Mom always said cooking things like this and then letting them "ripen" overnight was the secret to their deliciousness.  It is the same with most things like spaghetti sauce, stew, chili, etc.

Pork Chops & Sauerkraut

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

A delicious hearty casserole.  Tender bone in pork loin chops cook atop a delicious sauerkraut mixture for a delicious meal. All you need is some mashed potatoes on the side, or baked, or boiled as you prefer!

ingredients:

• 4 bone in loin pork chops
• 1 TBS  light olive oil
• 6 slices streaky bacon
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 (795g) jar of sauerkraut, drained (28 oz jar)
• 1 TBS brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• coarse black pepper to taste
• 60ml water (1/4 cup)

instructions:

How to cook Pork Chops & Sauerkraut

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Have ready a baking dish large enough to hold all of the pork chops in a single layer.
2. Brown the bacon in a skillet until crispy.  Remove and set aside.
3. Add the oil to the pan drippings (if needed) and heat.  Season the chops on both sides with salt and black pepper.  Brown them lightly on both sides and set aside. 
4. Add the the onions to the skillet and start to soften. After a few minutes, remove about half and set aside. Add the apples to the skillet and cook for a few minutes longer.  Add the sauerkraut, water, brown sugar, caraway seed and black pepper to taste and mix well together.  Chop the bacon and stir in.  Bring to the boil, then turn the whole mixture into the baking dish.  Place the chops on top.  Scatter the reserved onions on top of the chops.  Cover with foil and then roast in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.
5. I like to serve this with fluffy mashed potatoes.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

We only just had this the other day and looking at these photos makes me want to make it all over again!  Funny how that goes.  I guess I could never get tired of eating sauerkraut, and that's the truth!