UC Davis Connecting Through Food Project aims to collect and distribute beloved recipes from our community so that everyone can learn and enjoy.
Food is culture. Food is memory. We all have recipes that we cook at home or eat with people whom we love. Sharing a meal together can be a practice self-care and celebration of community. Showcase your culture, whether local or global and special memories by submitting your favorite recipe and/or backstory.
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Laura’s Story on Czech Sauerkraut
In our family, my father always loved his mother's Czech sauerkraut because it was sweet. He always told the story about how the Polish boys in his neighborhood would taste his mother's kraut, and then go home and complain to their own mothers that their kraut was too sour.
My father grew up on the southside of Chicago in a neighborhood called the Back of the Yards, which was the area where meat was processed. Many of our relatives worked in the stockyards of Chicago. His mother grew up near a town called Kladno, which is in today’s Czech Republic.
This recipe usually calls for a half-pound of bacon or lard; which is probably why everyone died of heart attacks in the family. I've developed this vegetarian recipe that substitutes a vegetarian bouillon. We usually had this kraut recipe with meat or chicken, but as a kid, I loved it with bread dumplings, another Czech favorite. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
16 oz. sauerkraut; canned, jarred, bagged, or from the barrel
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 T olive oil
1 c applesauce
1 T brown sugar
1 tsp. caraway seed
1/2 tsp. salt pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. "Better than Bouillon" Vegetarian
1/2 c water, white wine, or beer
Recipe Procedure:
- Rinse sauerkraut under cold water in a colander and set aside. In a heavy 2 qt. pot, heat olive oil over medium heat; add onions and cook until soft and golden.
- Add kraut, applesauce, sugar, seeds and salt and pepper and cook while stirring.
- Add liquid and cook until kraut begins to breakdown, stirring occasionally.
- Add more liquid if necessary, so that liquid cooks off while softening kraut.
- Serve with main dish like chicken, sausage, pork or dumplings while hot.
Other Information:
Category: Side Dish
Time typically served: Lunch, Dinner
Servings: 6