Pork Chops and Sauerkraut (or Schweinekotelette and Sauerkraut)

Many years ago, my husband bought me the cookbook, The German Cookbook by Mimi Sheraton for Christmas.  His Grandparents were German and his Grandmother would always cook these fantastic German meals.  Yet, there was no sign of any cookbook or recipes.  So this was one of the two German cookbooks he bought me.

Being that this is Octoberfest here in Cincinnati and Cincinnati is a huge German town. So I got out my two German cookbooks in honor of the occasion.

Unfortunately, this did require a trip to the grocery store for me since my refrigerator did not have pork chops or sauerkraut.

Pork Chops and Sauerkraut by Mimi Sheraton

Ingredients:

4 pork chops, about 1" thick
2 T butter or lard (I used olive oil to cook the pork chops and veggies)
1 medium size onion - diced
2 medium size apples - peeled, cored and diced
1 lb fresh or canned sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 lb potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup warm beef bouillon
1/2 cup white dry wine

Directions:

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil/butter/lard in skillet and brown the pork chops on both sides.

Remove the chops and add the onions and apples (your house will smell heavenly!!!)  Saute until onions are soft.

Remove the onions/apple mixture and saute the drained sauerkraut

In a large casserole dish, put a layer of sauerkraut on the bottom, next a layer of the onion/apple mixture followed by all the sliced potatoes.

Then repeat with a layer of sauerkraut, the onion/apple mixture and top with the pork chops.

Pour the hot bouillon and white white over this.  Cover tightly and bake in a 375 oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Entire Recipe

Pork Chops and Sauerkraut by Mimi Sheraton

Ingredients:

4 pork chops, about 1" thick
2 T butter or lard (I used olive oil to cook the pork chops and veggies)
1 medium size onion - diced
2 medium size apples - peeled, cored and diced
1 lb fresh or canned sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 lb potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup warm beef bouillon
1/2 cup white dry wine

Directions:

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil/butter/lard in skillet and brown the pork chops on both sides.
Remove the chops and add the onions and apples (your house will smell heavenly!!!)  Saute until onions are soft.

Remove the onions/apple mixture and saute the drained sauerkraut

In a large casserole dish, put a layer of sauerkraut on the bottom, next a layer of the onion/apple mixture followed by all the sliced potatoes.

Then repeat with a layer of sauerkraut, the onion/apple mixture and top with the pork chops.

Pour the hot bouillon and white white over this.  Cover tightly and bake in a 375 oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour

Comments:

My husband loved it. There are a few things I would change.  We both thought the pork chops were kind of dry.  I think the next time, I will put the pork chops over the layer of potatoes and cover them with sauerkraut and onion/apple mixture.  My husband thought it should have more sauerkraut (he loves his sauerkraut!!)

Jalapeno Peach Pie

What do you do when you have way too many jalapenos??    Make pie, of course!!

Initially, I had no clue what to do with all my jalapenos.  I really didn't want to make hot pepper jelly since my green peppers weren't doing as well as the jalapenos.  So off I went to the Internet and I found this recipe.

It did require a trip to the grocery store for canned peaches in juice.

This was a very easy pie to make - no peeling of peaches.  I did have to chop and seed the jalapenos (wear gloves!!!!).

Jalapeno Peach Pie

Ingredients:

2 medium sized jalapenos seeded and chopped in small pieces

1 Tbs. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar.

6 cups of well-drained canned peaches or 6 cups of fresh, peeled peaches (if in season)
1 c. brown sugar
1/8 c. peach juice (save it when you drain the peaches) or water
3 TB cornstarch

Your favorite pie crust recipe for double crust

Preheat the oven to 425

Melt the butter over low heat.  Add the jalapenos and saute for a few minutes, then add the brown sugar.  

Allow the mixture to boil and slowly add the peaches and the 1 cup of brown sugar a little bit at a time.

Mix the peach juice (or water) with the cornstarch until it forms a paste, then add it to the peaches and jalapeño mixture and mix well.

Bring this to a slow boil, stirring every once in awhile - you want this to thicken up enough to pour into your pie crust.

When the filling has thickened, pour it into the prepared pie crust and cover with the top crust. Trim the edges and crimp the sides together. Make sure you add some decorative vent-holes with a fork–because the filling is already hot!

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes (or until the pie crust looks golden).

Enjoy!! 

Verdict:

My husband loved it.  (of course, adding ice cream always makes pie a lot better).  You can taste the jalapenos and it it a bit "spicy."  I thought it was "interesting."  Will I make it again, probably because my husband liked it a lot.