CHOUCROUTE WITH PORK CHOPS & APPLES

Whether it’s ‘kraut on a Reuben sandwich, or an elaborate choucroute garnie, pork with fermented cabbage is an enduring pairing. This delicious one-dish meal—thick pork chops in apple studded Bavarian sauerkraut with dumpling-like pillows of soaked bread and a sprinkling of caraway—is a play on the best of those traditions.

Appreciation for such dishes is long-lived in my family. When my Dad was a young boy in the 1930s, transforming a big barrel of slivered, salted cabbage into naturally fermented sauerkraut was an annual family endeavor. Grandma Lydia and Grandpa Al sliced big heads of the fresh, green chou into the barrel, and scattered salt in measured handfuls while Dad and his brother Emil mashed it all down with a huge wooden pestle. Weighted down, the mixture would mellow in its juices over time, to be paired with pork in one or another family meal preparations.

When I received a reader request from a woman trying to replicate a dish her great aunt Caroline used to make with bread, pork chops, sauerkraut, and apples, I set to work to create this dish. I use Bavarian sauerkraut because it’s more mild than other varieties I’ve tried and doesn’t require rinsing. That, plus thick-cut pork chops with a nice fat cap on them, a fresh onion, good crusty bread (I like ciabatta or pugliese), and firm, tart-sweet apples (I used Michigan Evercrisp). The sprinkling of caraway seeds is optional but adds a wonderful flavor accent.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

• 4 thick-cut pork chops with a generous fat cap on them
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp butter, divided
• 1 yellow onion, peel discarded, medium diced to make 1 cup
• 1, 24-oz jar Bavarian sauerkraut (I used Hengstenberg Bavarian-style Sauerkraut with Wine)
• 2 firm, tart-sweet apples, peeled and cored, chopped to make 2 cups
• ¾ cup apple juice
• 2 to 3 thick slices day-old ciabatta or pugliese bread, cut into good-sized cubes to make 4 cups
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Several sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems discarded, leaves minced to make 3 Tbsp
• 2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Add olive oil and 1 Tbsp of the butter to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Brown pork chops on all sides and edges. Set chops aside.
2. Reduce heat to low. Add onions and remaining 2 Tbsp of butter to pan and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are very soft. Add 2 Tbsp water to pan; scrape off any fond from the bottom of the pan. Stir in sauerkraut.
3. Place chopped apples in a microwaveable bowl with ¾ cup apple juice. Cover and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes until apples are tender but not mushy. Add apples and juice to sauerkraut and onions. Stir in minced parsley. Add cubed bread and caraway (if using.) Mix well until bread cubes have soaked up pan juices. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon some of the sauerkraut mixture into one end of an ovenproof casserole dish. Firmly pack a pork chop next to this, fat side up. Continue filling dish, alternating sauerkraut mixture and chops, and finishing with the last of the sauerkraut, until all is incorporated. Cover dish firmly with foil. Bake at 275 degrees for 1-½ hours. Remove foil. If desired: Increase oven heat to broil setting to brown chop tops a little more, for 1 scant minute. Serve hot.