When I was growing up, there were six foods my mother knew I absolutely would not eat. That is important, as my family comes from the “eat that or don’t eat anything” viewpoint. These six were bananas (I’m allergic), hominy, liver, yams, tomato dumplings and sauerkraut. I would rather have gone hungry.
For sauerkraut lovers, I need to explain the dish as it was offered. It was pickled shredded cabbage, usually with a piece or two of Polish sausage and maybe some potatoes. I’m sorry, but that’s not on my list of foods I’m willing to eat.
I understand that German kraut is a much better dish, but we don’t live in an area populated by Germans, nor have I ever seen it at the supermarket. In fact, when I mention the two versions, mostly all I cause is confusion. Maybe the rest of this story will explain.
I bought some bratwurst for Sunday dinner. I’ve probably had it before, but if so I don’t remember. I vaguely remember eating some buffalo done in “bratwurst style,” but I don’t like buffalo meat and I don’t think it counts.
I thought I’d serve it with some tomato sauce and pasta. However, as it was something relatively new, I asked my husband. He immediately nixed the whole pasta idea. The only possible accompaniment for bratwurst was sauerkraut. I’m thinking, “Ick!”
He was so adamant; he actually went out and bought a can of the stuff. As you can imagine, it is not a common denizen of my pantry. I sighed and knew I’d have to make it.
Then, he brought out another ingredient, one that is crucial to making this accompaniment edible: Bacon. Hm, well as we don’t get to eat a lot of bacon, I figured I might give it a shot. You couldn’t, in my mind, make the food any worse.
I sautéed the brats first and then put the bacon in the same skillet. Once it was done, we put the sauerkraut in it. I hesitantly put some on my plate and took a tentative bite. There might be something to this bacon bit, after all. I tried it with the brat, and they went quite well together.
Does this mean that kraut is going to become a frequent guest at our dinner table? Probably not, as we’re not supposed to eat bacon. However, I have to admit that it went well with the meal and I will probably make it again…eventually.