Mad About Kraut

Justin and I found an awesome ceramic crock at our local everything store, Swains, so, I got a little overzealous with kraut making this year. We ended up with 3 GALLONS of magenta-colored sauerkraut (I mixed green and purple cabbage). I made it the traditional way: lots of pounding, adding salt, and letting it ferment and scent our kitchen in the heat of late summer. Instead using traditional caraway seeds, I added fennel seeds to aid digestion of the potent delight. It turned out great, but in far too copious a quantity for our bellies. I've given a lot away, but now we're starting to run low and ration it.

Anyway, my co-worker at Nash's, Ellen, set me up with a great recipe. This is a casserole (!) for sauerkraut lovers and non-lovers alike.

Escalloped Apples au Gratin
from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen

Preheat oven to 375F

1 2# can sauerkraut
6 heaping cups peeled, sliced tart apples (about 6-8 large apples'-worth)
2 Tbsp. Flour
½ tsp. Cinnamon
a dash of: cloves, nutmeg & salt
2 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 cup chopped onions
½ tsp. Dry mustard
½ # mild cheddar cheese, grated
¾ c. fine breadcrumbs
¾ c. finely-chopped walnuts or almonds

1. Place the sauerkraut in a colander or strainer, and rinse it well under cold tap water. Squeeze dry.
2. Toss together the apple slices, flour, and spices. Drizzle in the honey, and mix well.
3. Saute` the onions in the butter until clear and soft (5-8 minutes). Add the dry mustard and the sauerkraut, and cook another few minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat.
4. Take half the grated cheese, and combine it with the breadcrumbs and chopped nuts. Leave the other half of the grated cheese to stand alone.
5. Now for the fun part: in your buttered deep-dish casserole, make the following pattern of layers: 1st , a layer consisting of half the apple mixture; next, half the onion-sauerkraut mixture; 3rd, the plain, grated cheese; 4th the remaining apples, followed by the remaining onion/sauerkraut mix; and FINALLY, the nut-crumb-cheese topping! Cover, and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover, and 20 minutes more.