Door County Kraut Recipes
Soups
Sauerkraut Soup
1# Smoked Sausage (like Kielbasa)
6 Tbl. Chopped onion (more to taste)
Chop the sausage coarsely by hand or in a food processor leaving the casings on.
Sauté the sausage and onion in a deep pan over medium heat till sausage is lightly browned.
Combine in small bowl:
¼ c. flour
½ tsp. Thyme
½ tsp. Black pepper
Add flour mixture to sausage mix in pan and let cook for 5 min. till flour becomes roux like.
Add to hot mixture:
3 c. Milk
1 cup half n’ half or cream
1 cup Door County sauerkraut and juice
2 Tbl. Fresh chopped parsley (dried works too)
Bring the soup mixture up to heat till it gently starts to boil and thicken. If you like your soup more tart, lemon or lime juice can be added – up to 1 ½ Tbl. We add a bit more drained kraut to ours as we like soup with more body.
Creamy Ruben Soup
3 Tbl. butter in sauce pan - melt
Add following two ingredients and sauté:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
Add to sautéed items as for roux and cook, stirring about 1 minute:
1/4 cup flour
Add to above and bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered 5 minutes:
3 cups water
4 tsp. beef bouillon concentrate (4 cubes)
Add remaining ingredients to soup base and cook 30 minutes or till thick:
1/2 lb. corned beef, shredded or chopped fine in food processor
1 # Door County Kraut - well drained, (chop or leave whole as you like)
3 cups heavy cream or 1/2 n'1/2
1 cup shredded Swiss Cheese
Can be served with croutons on top, or cut circles of dark rye bread to place on top of soup ladled into oven proof bowls topping with additional grated Swiss Cheese and stick under broiler in oven to brown slightly.
Appetizers
Ruben Dip
325 F. – 20 min.
2# Door County Kraut – drain & chop fine
2 pkgs. Buddig corned beef chopped, or 8 oz. Cooked shredded corned beef
3 scallions chopped
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2-3 cups Hellmann’s mayonnaise
Mix all together well and heat till bubbly.
Serve with Pinah’s rye chips or your choice of chip or dark rye bread. Serves 10-12
Main Dish's
Ruben Casserole
Layer following ingredients into a greased 9x13 pan 350F – 30 min
2# Bag Door County Kraut – rinse & drain well
1# Corned beef (thin sliced), or 2 cans of corned beef
1 1/3 cup 1000 Island Dressing spread over beef
1# Baby Swiss Cheese thin sliced and layered on top
12 slices rye bread cubed and tossed with ½ stick melted butter (butter spray ok too)
Top cheese with rye bread and press down
Fast & Easy Kraut en Casserole
2-3# Door County Kraut-drained well
1/3 cup Dark Molasses ( light will do)
¼ cup cooking oil
2/3 cup brown sugar packed
Mix the above ingredients well.
1 # of wieners or your favorite wurst or sausages – leave whole or cut up into 1-2 " sections.
Grease a roasting pan or casserole and arrange the kraut and sausages evenly in pan. If you like your sausages to brown, put them on the top of the kraut, if you want them more moist, bury them in the kraut. To make a one dish meal, I add potatoes as suggested below.
4 potatoes – cut in 1" cubes (optional) peeling not necessary
For Bavarian style, add caraway seeds to kraut
Bake covered 30 min. @ 350 F and then uncover and bake an additional 20-30 min. till sausages brown and spuds are done.
Uncle Ruben’s Pizza
One 16" unbaked pizza crust spread on greased baking pan.
1- cup Thousand Island Dressing – spread evenly on unbaked crust
2-3 packages Corned Beef - (Carl Buddig, or equivalent of deli corned beef) –chopped up and spread over the salad dressing.
2# Door County Kraut – squeezed very dry then spread evenly over the top of the meat
Sliced swiss cheese to cover the entire pizza.
Bake 375 F about 20 min. till cheese is golden & serve.
Substitutions: No 1000 Island in house – no problem – take 2/3 cup mayo or Miracle Whip and add 1/3 cup or a bit more of catsup to mix to the color you desire. If you have pickle relish add a couple Tbl. of sweet relish to it if you like. For more zip, forget the pickle relish and add 1 Tbl. of prepared horseradish to dressing prior to spreading.
For a different flavor, I’ve used pre-cooked brats, or Italian sausage instead of corned beef. This is another quick, and easy meal for the family.
Swabian Sauerkraut – Spaetzle /Noodles
2 lbs. Door County Kraut – rinsed & drained well
4 Tbl. lard, bacon grease or butter – melt in skillet
1 small onion – sauté` this in skillet till softened, and then add kraut frying over low heat and stirring till both kraut and onion are golden brown. If mixture seems dry, add ½ - 1-cup water as needed.
¼ lb. Ham, Canadian bacon, or smoked pork loin, chopped – add this till above and season to taste with salt and pepper – turn to lower heat and keep warm.
¾ - 1 Lb. Spaetzle or other noodles, cooked and drained
Enough butter to brown the noodles.
Sauté` cooked drained noodles in butter till golden and add to the kraut/sausage mixture frying both together a minute or two. Your favorite herbs may also be added if desired to taste.
Hungarian Spaetzles
1 cup flour
1 egg + 1 egg yolk (I use 2 eggs)
5 ½ Tbl. Milk
¾ tsp. Salt
dash Nutmeg
1 Tbl. Minced parsley
Mix all together as for dumplings. Have water boiling is large kettle and cut lengths of dough into water with dampened knife (wetting knife keeps dough from sticking). Cook 5 minutes after all of the mixture is in the boiling water. May be used in above recipe, or served as side dish with buttered bread crumbs on top.
Well-Rounded Krauts Crispy Sauerkraut Balls
1# of bulk pork sausage (your favorite flavor) browned and drained – set aside.
¼ c. butter
1 medium onion
½ clove garlic
Sauté` above ingredients.
¼ cup flour
½ cup sauerkraut juice
3 cups Door County Kraut – drained well –chopped up
Add these ingredients to the sautéed onion and add sausage. Cook until a paste forms, mixing well. Chill until mixture can be shaped into small balls.
2 eggs beaten w/ ¼ cup milk
Cornflake crumbs
Dip kraut balls in egg mixture and roll in cornflake crumbs. Deep fry balls at 325 F until light brown, removing and drying on paper towel. They freeze well and can be reheated at 325 F 20 minutes in the oven.
German Cheesy Poufs
1# Door County Kraut – rinse and drained well (chopped a bit)
1 – 8 oz. Pkg. Cream cheese
1 ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Mix above ingredients well and form into small balls.
2 pkgs. Dried Beef – chopped well by hand or food processor
Roll Kraut balls in chopped beef and let set up in refrigerator overnight.
Krautbrot – Kraut Bread
2 c.cooked roast pork – grind or run through food processor till finely chopped
1 –2 cups Door County Kraut – drain well
1 large onion – chop and saute`
1 loaf unbaked bread dough (risen)
Divide dough in ½ or cut into 12 pieces. Roll dough into a rectangular shape. Place meat mixture in the center of the dough. Bring the sides of the dough up and pinch together. Bake at 375 F till nicely browned. Brush dough with butter, cut and serve.
Kapustniarka
2 lbs spare ribs
1 lb. Door County Kraut rinsed and coarsely chopped
Dried mushrooms crushed
2-3 handfuls of raw rice
2-3 lbs. Of Hungarian sausage
1 med. onion chopped
½ stick of oleo or butter
½ cup flour
salt and sugar to taste
Cut spare ribs and sausage in serving sized pieces and put into large kettle with sauerkraut, rice, and mushrooms, filling with water. Simmer till meat comes off the bones. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a sauté pan with the flour and cook till brown colored (brown roux), then add onions and continue to sauté. Use this roux to add to your meat mixture in kettle for thickening and add salt and sugar to taste. Skim the fat off the top prior to serving.
You can save the water from rinsing the kraut to thin or make the soup a bit more sour. Soup best when soup is allowed to sit two days to blend flavors, or when reheated. Invite company over – makes 10 servings.
This soup is served as the first course for a traditional Slovak Christmas dinner. The main course consists of baked Hungarian sausage, pork spareribs and sauerkraut. Side dishes are "opekansa" which is like mac n’cheese but made with dried breadsticks that are dipped in boiling water and smothered with cheese and butter. Dried fruit is reconstituted and is eaten with the meal for good luck along with a drived unlevened wafer called "oblatke". Mint ice cream is Jane’s family holiday dessert.
Recipe compliments of Jane Carrola – Wis. DOT Scenic Byways Coordinator
& Door County Kraut Company 839-2288
Side Dish's
Marinated Sauerkraut Salad
1 2# bag Door County Kraut (rinse and drain)
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onion
¾ c. white or brown sugar
¼ c. salad oil
¼ c. vinegar (white, apple cider or wine vinegar’s work well)
Toss all together. Chill overnight or a day or two to let flavors blend. Drain and serve.
Sweet Chile Corn Bread
1 ¼ cup yellow corn meal Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl
¾ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
3 eggs In a second bowl whisk these ingredients together
¾ c. buttermilk and blend into dry ing.
1/3 c. melted butter
2 Tbl. brown sugar
Fold into blended above ing.
1 cup canned creamed corn
1 small can green chilies
1 small fresh Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Place in a greased large cast iron skillet or baking pan. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven 30-40 min or until golden and toothpick comes out clean.
Tomato Slices – Company Style
Slice as many tomatoes as you need for the amount of people being served and place on a serving platter. Slice red onions very thinly in rings and separate placing them on top of tomatoes. Sprinkle blue cheese crumbles over the top, then chopped parsley and drizzle all with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Store covered in refrigerator till ready to serve.
Windy Day Dip
1# Door County Kraut – drain well
1# shredded Cheddar cheese
2 hard-boiled eggs – chopped fine
1 green pepper – chopped fine
3 Tbl. Sugar
¾ cup soda cracker crumbs
3 oz. Cream cheese – softened
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 c. mayonnaise
Mix all ingredients until moist. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with crackers.
Sweet-Hot Pickled Sauerkraut
Hot Banana or Jalapeno Peppers – washed – using gloves, remove tops and seeds leaving pepper intact.
Door County Kraut – drain well and stuff into individual peppers – packing in canning jars
Brine
4 c. vinegar
4 c. water
1 c. sugar
¼ c. salt
Bring above ingredients to a boil, and pour over peppers packed in jars to within ¾" of top of jar rim, installing sealing lids and screw tops. Process in hot water bath 10 min.
Marinated Sauerkraut Salad
1 2# bag Door County Kraut (rinse and drain)
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onion
¾ c. white or brown sugar
¼ c. salad oil
¼ c. vinegar (white, apple cider or wine vinegars work well)
Toss all together. Chill overnight or a day or two to let flavors blend. Drain and serve.
Spuds Au Gratin & buddy Chard
1-2 onions chopped
2 T. olive oil Saute first 4 ingredients in deeper frying pan.
1T. butter When onions clear – add chard or kale and cook
1 clove garlic minced till greens are wilted – remove from pan .
1 lb. Swiss Chard – stems removed and cut up some
Grease a 2 qt casserole or pan.
Slice 3 large potatoes in ¼" thick slices.
In same fry pan make a roux for your sauce using the following:
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp pepper
2 T. butter
2 T flour
Cook a bit till bubbles, but don’t brown unless you want a nutty flavor – then add slowly to roux:
¾ cup milk and heat till thickend – then add
3/4 cup shredded cheddar or american cheese and stir till melted.
Put a layer of potato slices in the pan, then a layer of the onions & greens mixture, then the sauce – repeat layers once more. Bake at 350 F. 45 min to 1 hr. or till knife comes out easily and potatoes are done. Very good !
Compliments Door County Kraut - 839-2288 and Mrs. McMillen my neighbor shared this with us.