Sauerkraut Dumplings – Comfort Food with a Twist (or a Swirl?)

/ September 19, 2014

With autumn approaching, we are all yearning for some comfort food: warm as well as warming, full of strong flavours and hearty goodness. In other words: calories. This dish is as comforting as it gets, in fact sauerkraut is so popular in Germany that ‘Krauts’ became the derogatory term for German soldiers in World War I. That is not to say that we are the only ones eating it: it’s also a vital component of many Eastern European dishes and nobody visiting the Alsace region should leave without sampling choucroute garnie. Unless you’re vegetarian, obviously, because the ‘garnie’ bit means a massive pile of bacon and sausages…

This dish, which originates in the Allgäu region, is not only hearty but also quite pretty, in that the dough is wrapped around the filling forming a swirl, almost like a savoury version of a chelsea bun. Children are often put off sauerkraut due to its slightly sour taste, but by simmering it with apples (and white wine…) the final dish is much milder than you might expect and is usually a great hit with kids. The caraway seeds are used in many German dishes, most notoriously in the Frankfurt dish ‘Handkäs mit Musik‘, which translates as ‘handcheese with music’: the cheese that is formed by hand (hence its name), with the raw onions and caraway seeds that accompany it providing the music. Just wait for it. It’ll come.Krautkrapfen or Sauerkraut Dumplings

Sauerkraut, I hasten to add, is renowned for its health benefits: made of nothing but cabbage, water and salt, the mix is left to ferment. Traditionally that was done in large earthenware pots, and you had to pound the cabbage every other day or so with a wooden club, breaking up the cells and releasing the bacteria needed for the fermentation process.

Fiesta Friday Badge Button I party @

Unpasteurised sauerkraut is full of ‘good’ bacteria, such as the ones you might be looking for in yoghurts. Due to its high vitamin C content, cabbage is supposed to boost your immune system, which is probably at its most vulnerable during the winter months. Sauerkraut is known to aid digestion and is often described as a cancer-fighting food. To reap the full health benefits, you should be eating it raw, though …

With this being my 100th post, I am in quite a celebratory mood – and how better to celebrate than by joining in with the fun at Angie’s Fiesta Friday, which she hosts every week at The Novice Gardener?

I have been watching the fun from a distance for a while now, always wishing I had something to bring along to this pot luck fest. So today’s the day: happy partying!

Krautkrapfen or Sauerkraut Dumplings

 

Sauerkraut Dumplings – Allgäuer Krautkrapfen (serves 6)

 

For the filling:

  • 200 grams of pancetta or streaky bacon, diced
  • 1 apple, peeled and diced
  • 500gr Sauerkraut (or whatever is in the glass…)
  • 4 juniper berries
  • 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
  • 1 1/2 – 2 l of broth
  • 1 tsp clarified butter

For the dough:

  • 3 eggs
  • 300g flour
  • 1 tbs vegetable oil
  • some water
  • salt

Heat the clarified butter in a medium-sized pan; add the pancetta and sauté until it becomes a little see-through. Add the sauerkraut, apple pieces, juniper berries and the white wine; simmer for around ten minutes, then set aside.

This is how I make any Sauerkraut, whether I intend to eat it the Alsatian way, with bacon and sausages, or with other kinds of dumplings: by simmering the shop-bought sauerkraut with apple, wine and a few spices I take out its acidity and turn it into a lovely mild autumn dish.Sauerkraut

Now it is time to make the dough, by combining the flour, eggs, oil and water to produce a relatively stiff dough, like a pasta dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and rest it for around 30 minutes.

Krautkrapfen or Sauerkraut Dumplings

For the next step you need to drain the sauerkraut, but collect the juices in a pan. Add the broth and heat up the liquid. Set the drained sauerkraut aside.

Roll out the dough very thinly – almost like a strudel dough. You can do this on a floured kitchen towel, which will help you to roll the roulade. Spread the sauerkraut evenly and begin to roll it up, then cut the roulade into slices of about 4-5 cm / 2 inches.Krautkrapfen or Sauerkraut Dumplings Place the swirls into an ovenproof dish, pour the hot liquid over the swirls and bring to boil. Krautkrapfen or Sauerkraut Dumplings
Then close the lid and place the dish in the oven. Bake for around 40 minutes.Krautkrapfen or Sauerkraut Dumplings

 

Towards the end you will hear a crackling sound: as the broth has been soaked up by the dough, the dumplings are browning at the bottom of the pan, which will give them a lovely crust. Don’t wait for too long, though: you don’t want them to burn!

Enjoy with a side salad (to make it look more healthy) and a glass of beer, to feel completely comforted.

Enjoy with a side salad (to make it look more healthy) and a glass of beer, to feel completely comforted.And what is your idea of comfort food? Does it always need to be calorific and heavy?? Go on, prove me wrong!

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79 thoughts on “Sauerkraut Dumplings – Comfort Food with a Twist (or a Swirl?)”

  4. This is something I’ve never made myself and have been wanting to try! I have a recipe but it doesn’t include apple. I always love to see how recipes vary. 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!

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  9. Wooooo hooooooooo!
    One
    HUNDREEEED!!!
    Sorry, I’m pretty excited for you over here. I’ll settle down.
    Great post though and I like the ‘handcheese with Music’ bit! Very nice!
    And the pictures Ginger, they just keep getting more and more awesome.
    Like you 🙂

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  15. When I was growing up, my best friend’s Mom was from Austria. She made a dish that very much reminds me of this. It was delicious and I am so happy to have found your page. I just pinned this. Thank you!

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  22. How fabulous to find a fellow German at Fiesta Friday. I’m from Bavaria and have lived in the UK for over 17 years. I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts and… I can hear you pain about the German embassy appointments. My little one still hasn’t got a German passport 😉
    Viele Gruesse, Chava

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  26. Welcome to Fiesta Friday, Ginger! And congratulations on reaching the 100th post. So thrilled that you decided to celebrate the milestone with us at the fiesta. Now, let’s talk about this dish. I’m all over it! I LOVE sauerkraut! Mostly I have it with sausages or in a Reuben sandwich. But never in dumplings. What a great recipe! I will have to give this a try. 🙂

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  33. I just discovered your blog via Angie’s Friday Fiesta selection, and am literally drooling over these sauerkraut swirls! I make Ukrainian ravioli and stuff them with sauerkraut, but this is so much more elegant and beautiful. Now I must go and discover all your other recipes!

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    • Sounds delicious – I love Russian food! The most memorable meal ever was in a Georgian restaurant in St Petersburg, as a student. I was close to tears so delicious was the food!

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  36. Mmmmm never heard of this particular german dish before. I will def try it out and maybe make it with kimchi in the future as well, as kimchi is very similar to sauerkraut. Some grated cheese on top might be good too. Thanks for the recipe!

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