Stewed sauerkraut with meat

Country kitchen

A hearty, filling hot dish – stewed sauerkraut with meat. It's very juicy and delicious, and will appeal to anyone who enjoys simple, home-cooked food. For this classic recipe with step-by-step photos, choose meat with some fat; pork is best. This could be the neck, the back or shoulder, the belly, or spare ribs. Sauerkraut "loves" fat, so it's best to cook lean meats in lard or render pieces of fat in a frying pan.

If the cabbage is very sour, then before adding it to the pan, you need to squeeze out the juice and pour boiling water over it - this will remove the excess acid.

Or mix it with the same amount of fresh cabbage, then the taste will be softer, with a pleasant sourness.

Ingredients:

sauerkraut – 700 g;
pork – 400 g;
onions – 2 heads;
pork lard – 2-3 tbsp;
salt – to taste;
tomato sauce or adjika – 3 tbsp;
water – 0.5 cups + a little for stewing cabbage.

How to cook stewed sauerkraut with meat

Cut the tender pork into medium-sized pieces. Don't trim off the fat, but make sure each piece has some fat.

Chop two large onions into thin strips or cut into small cubes.

Melt the lard in a frying pan and place the pork pieces in the hot fat. Fry quickly, sealing the meat on all sides. When the meat is lightly browned, add half a glass of water, cover, and simmer for half an hour.

The water should be completely absorbed or evaporated during braising, and the meat should become tender. Once the liquid has evaporated, add the onion to the pan. Fry it with the meat for two to three minutes.

Squeeze the sauerkraut to remove any excess juice. Add it to the meat and stir. If there's not enough fat, add more. Stir-fry the cabbage and meat for about five minutes, until the fat has been absorbed.

Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low, making it barely noticeable. High heat will cause the cabbage to overcook or burn. Simmer the sauerkraut for about half an hour, removing the lid periodically and stirring.

Then add tomato sauce or homemade tomato adjika and a little boiling water (about a third of a cup). Add salt to taste. Cover again and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. While simmering, taste the cabbage; if it's a bit tart, you can add a couple pinches of sugar to even out the flavor. Whether you add spices is up to you; they're not essential in this recipe.

You can serve the stewed sauerkraut with meat immediately after cooking or let it sit. Enjoy!