Frosty mornings like we have had this week are perfect for making fall vegetables taste even sweeter.
Now is the time to think about making this fall’s first batch of sauerkraut, says my new husband, Dr. James Diamond, an agricultural expert and consultant. It was sauerkraut that first brought us together, thanks to a class offered each November by the Plumsteadville Grange. And we served tiny cups of our homemade sauerkraut at each table setting when we got married last weekend at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown.
Cabbages are among the fall vegetables that improve with autumn’s frostiness and we will be enjoying ours very soon as homemade sauerkraut. Easy to make, it is a combination of cabbage, salt and energy, put together in such a way that it ferments into a dish that contains vitamins C, B6 and K1 as well as iron, manganese, folate, copper and potassium.
It can be canned or frozen, then used to top hot dogs, served in Reuben sandwiches, cooked with pork, or enjoyed with any kind of meat. It can be minced and added to deviled eggs, heaped on your grilled cheese sandwich or added to tuna salad. If you love sauerkraut you will delight in finding new ways to use it.
Recipes for how to make sauerkraut abound on the internet, so look for one or watch the Plumsteadville Grange Facebook page for the next class. In the meantime, here is a recipe using canned sauerkraut from tasteofhome.com:
6 small red potatoes, quartered
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1 can (14 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 pound smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1-inch slices
2 cans (14 ½ ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
In a 3- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine the potatoes, carrots and onion. Combine the sauerkraut, brown sugar, mustard and caraway seeds; spoon over vegetables. Top with sausage and broth. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Last week’s recipe for sweet potato bread omitted the amount of mashed sweet potato to use. Also, often stores label real sweet potatoes as yams, but they are fine to use.
Here is the corrected recipe:
1 cup sweet potato, peeled, mashed and cooled
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup milk
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×5 bread pan with pan spray. Set aside.
2. If your sweet potatoes are not already cooked, boil a medium pot of water and add peeled and chopped sweet potatoes. Boil for 12 minutes until fork-tender. Drain and let cool before mashing or running through a potato ricer.
3. In a large bowl combine the brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs and mix until just combined.
4. In a medium bowl add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk to combine.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the flour. Gently stir in the mashed sweet potatoes.
6. Add the batter to the prepared bread pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let cool completely before slicing.
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