Frankfurt-Style Pickled Pork Chops & Sauerkraut

This is a specialty dish of Frankfurt am Main, also known as just Frankfurt, in the German state of Hessen in western Germany, and it is the "financial capital" of Germany. The "am Main" means "on the Main (River)," and it is used to distinguish this Frankfurt from another German city of Frankfurt, which is about 50 to 60 miles east of Berlin on the Oder River; thus, this city is referred to as "Frankfurt an der Oder," and it is much smaller than the Frankfurt in Hessen. The dish is generally called, "Frankfurter Rippchen mit Sauerkraut" (the "Ripp" part is closely related to English "rib"). The first part of the recipe is for making the the pickled pork, as in Frankfurt cuisine, the pork chops are not smoked. In English, the word "pickle" also carried the meaning of "curing" by the use of salt in some way, and it wasn't until vinegar became a popular ingredient for "pickling," that the word often took on the connection to vinegar in English. Plus, the word "cure" had come to be used in the mid 1700s for treating meat with salt and spices to preserve and flavor it, leaving "pickle" to be used more with vegetables, especially cucumbers, in vinegar laced brine.   

Ingredients:

(to pickle the pork)
48 ounces water (more if needed to cover the meat)
5 tablespoons pickling or kosher salt + 1 tablespoon separate
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
4 fresh loin pork chops

Bring the water with everything, except the pork chops and the separate tablespoon of pickling salt, to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. It must be considerably cooled to use over the pork. In a dish or non reactive pan, place the pork chops, then sprinkle the extra tablespoon of salt over them. Pour the brine over them. If you need to add a little more water, do so. Make sure the pork is fully covered by the brine. If you are using a dish/pan with a lid, put it on, or put plastic wrap over the top to fit tightly. Place in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours.   

(for the dish)
1  2 pound bag of refrigerated sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
2 cloves
2 onions, chopped (divided use, so keep each separate)
1 Granny Smith apple (I leave the peel on, but you can peel it, chopped)
4 juniper berries, crushed a little
5 whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (or lard, which was used in the past)
4 pickled pork chops
1 cup hard apple cider or apple juice or regular apple cider, no spices added**

Almost all Germans would fix this dish on top of the stove, but I prefer to bake it, and I think you'll love the results. A casserole dish with a lid is good, but a non reactive pan is fine too. In a separate pan, heat some water, add the cloves, one chopped onion and the peppercorns. Add the pork chops and simmer for about 20 minutes, remove the pork and discard the liquid (don't get that backwards).

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet, add the other chopped onion. Saute briefly to just begin to soften the onion. Add the apple and cook for just another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring a little. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut, put into the dish you will be using. Add the onion/apple and juniper berries and mix well. Nestle the two bay leaves into different parts of the dish. Add the pork chops, pressing them down into the kraut a bit, but you need not cover them completely. Pour in the cider, cover the dish and place in a 300 degree (F) oven. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender. 

* "Culinaria, European Specialities" (Volume 1), chief editors: Joachim Römer and Michael Ditter, editor: Christine Westphal, published by Könemann Publishing, Cologne 1995

** For those unaware, "hard cider" means it is fermented and has an alcohol content.

Cured pork chop, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes ... what a great dinner!

WORD HISTORY:
Sift-This word, closely related to "sieve," goes back to Indo European "seip," which had the notion, "to flow through, to drip, to trickle." This gave the West Germanic branch of Old Germanic, "sibp," which meant, "sieve." ^ This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) the verb "siftan," meaning, "to put something through a sieve." This then became "siften," before the modern form. The close relationship between forms of "sieve" and "sift" in the Germanic languages makes it rather difficult to separate the words, but words in other Germanic languages more or less mirroring their English cousin: German has "sichten" (perhaps borrowed from Low German? Not nearly as common as the closely related "sieben," literally "to sieve, to sift"), Low German Saxon has "sichten," Dutch has "ziften" (also "zichten," which is antiquated).

^ For the history of the word "sieve," here is the link to that article:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/12/liptauer-cheese-spread.html 

Kraut, Smoked Pork Chops & Dumplings (Kraut Sputel)

I had this dish many years ago, in what was then West Germany, in the state of Hessen, its place of origin. Northern Hessen (German: Nordhessen) is the area where part of my maternal German ancestors came from. The yeast dumplings, with bits of butter mixed in, are just FANTASTIC! This was the first time I made the dish, but it is well worth any effort. It's Hessian name is "Kraut Sputel," and "Sputel" is a Hessian dialect word, derived from German "sputen," a word closely related to the English word "speed." * The German term for the pork chops used is, "Kasseler Rippchen," and they are from pork loin, which is cut into pork chops. Kasseler Rippchen are salt cured, then lightly smoked. "Frankfurter Rippchen" are pork chops that are salt cured, but not smoked," obviously a specialty of the city of Frankfurt, in Hessen. The origin of the term "Kasseler Rippchen" (also spelled "Kassler") is a bit contentious, as there is a city in northern Hessen named "Kassel," where it is held that their city is the place of origin of the pork product. Others, however, have contended that the the name came from Berlin, where a butcher of that name, although perhaps with the spelling "Cassel," lived. The first part of German "Rippchen" is closely related to English "rib." **

Ingredients (4 servings):

For the dumplings:

1 cup flour (+ more for kneading and forming)
1/2 packet quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warmed milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 stick butter, flaked
1 egg

For the sauerkraut:

1 onion
2 cloves garlic 
2 tablespoons canola oil (in older times, lard was used)
1 1/2 pounds sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
2 juniper berries (optional, if using, crush them a bit)***
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 smoked pork chops

In a bowl, mix the flour and salt. In a cup, add the slightly warmed milk (not hot!), sprinkle on the yeast and the sugar; allow to foam. Pour the milk and yeast into the flour, add the egg and butter flakes. Mix well, cover loosely with a towel or paper towel, let sit for about 30-35 minutes.

In a pan large enough to hold everything (preferably with a lid, although foil can be used as a cover), heat the canola oil over medium heat, then add the onion. Cook until the onion begins to soften, then add the garlic, cook no longer than about another minute, so as not to burn the garlic. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut, add it to the pan, then add the sugar and juniper berries (if using). Then stir in the stock, stir well, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Remove the sauerkraut from the heat. Knead the dumpling mixture for a few minutes, adding extra flour, if needed, to make sure the dough is not wet or sticky. Form the dough into four equal size dumplings. Place the pork chops into the warm kraut in an upright or near upright position, leaving space between the chops. Into each of those spaces, place one dumpling. Cover the pan with a lid or use aluminum foil (cover tightly, or the dumplings might not rise properly, and even dry out). Into the oven the pan goes for about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven, the dumplings should have risen and spread out (see photo below).        

* For the history of the word "speed," here's the link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/04/do-we-need-traffic-laws-ask-nra.html

** For the history of the word "rib," here is the link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-last-of-sheila-great-whodunit.html

*** If you've never used juniper berries, they come from certain evergreen trees; thus, the "berries" are actually little "cones" from these trees, but they look a lot like blueberries, but dried. They are most famous for the flavor they give to gin (see Word History below). The German for "juniper berries" is "Wacholderbeeren."
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The sauerkraut goes in the bottom of the pan, and the pork chops are then stood on edge, or nearly so, with the dumplings wedged in between. I only fixed two chops, and if I had it to do over, I would have divided the dough to make three dumplings, by putting the third on the other side of one dumpling. This photo is of the cooked dish, just from the oven. Look at the pork chop in the second photo! Wow! Hessians might have a glass of apple wine with this dinner, as it is a specialty of Hessen, especially Frankfurt and vicinity, where the dialect term apple wine is "Ebbelwoi," with other similar dialect forms used elsewhere in Hessen. Of course, beer is always common with Germans, and white wine is also common.

WORD HISTORY:
Gin-The origin of this word is unknown, but it goes back to Latin "iuniperus," which meant "juniper" (the name of the tree). This gave Old French, a Latin-based language, "genevre," and Dutch borrowed the word from French as "genever." English borrowed the word circa 1400, but it began to be spelled "geneva," seemingly influenced by the name of the Swiss city, and then the word was shortened from this to "gin" in the early 1700s, as the name for the alcoholic drink flavored with juniper berries. 

Sauerkraut Recipe

This recipe is my own, but it is really a collection of ideas from many sources over the years. For New Year's Day my mother and my maternal grandmother always fixed pork roast with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and rye bread with caraway seed. Before putting the food onto the stove, they would always give me a pinch of raw sauerkraut to eat, as that was supposed to bring extra good luck; notice, I said it's "supposed to bring extra good luck." I would guess that a high percentage of Americans would mention sauerkraut, if they were asked to name a German food, although bratwurst has become very popular since American forces helped to occupy and defend post-World War Two Germany. This recipe has traditional German ingredients, but with some specific Alsatian influences. Alsace (German: Elsass), its most well known city being Strasbourg (German: Strassburg), was long a German land, but because it bordered on French lands, it became a highly contested region, as the French sought to incorporate it into France. Wars and the resulting treaties saw the area come under French control, but then this was largely reversed during Bismarck's time in the 1870s, when much of Alsace came back under German control (a small, but heavily French populated part remained as a part of France). This continued until the end of World War One, when the area went back under French control. Don't get too comfortable, because the German defeat of France in 1940 put the area back into Germany, but Germany's defeat in 1945 saw Alsace become a part of France, where it has remained ever since. The German dialect of Alsace is closely related to that of Switzerland, southwestern Germany (in a fairly broad area, where Stuttgart is one of the main cities), Liechtenstein and the far western tip of Austria.

The use of wine in sauerkraut is not something unusual in Germany/Austria, for while Americans correctly associate Germans and beer, wine is a common drink for Germans/Austrians, and there are several regions, especially in western Germany near and along the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, and in eastern Austria, where vineyards are plentiful and wine is produced in large quantity.

Ingredients:

2 pounds sauerkraut, well rinsed
2-3 strips of smoky bacon, cut into small pieces
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 apple, chopped (Germans tend to use green apples, but I use either green or red, unpeeled, and my German relatives have yet to disown me ... then again, I haven't heard from them for a while. Hmm, maybe I'd better check on that one. LOL!
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups of white wine (Germans generally use dry white, but I've used semi-dry white [see under the apple type, above, about my German relatives], but I wouldn't use a sweet wine, see next ingredient )
2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper (unless you're a salt fiend, you won't need salt, as the bacon, ham and sauerkraut add plenty)
1/2 lb. ham, chopped
1 pork steak, whole
4 German sausages (fresh bratwurst; that is, not the precooked type, work well)
2 Frankfurters/wieners/hotdogs, whatever term you use, preferably with natural casing
If you want to make it more Alsatian, add about 8 or 10 juniper berries and 2 bay leaves (juniper berries are used to make gin), as well as another type of sausage, like knockwurst/knackwurst.

Now, I BAKE my sauerkraut, so make sure to have an ovenproof pan (with lid) or casserole that is big enough to accommodate all of the ingredients, keeping in mind the juice that will build during baking and that you will be adding the sausages later. In a skillet, saute the bacon pieces just a couple of minutes, then add the onion. Allow to cook, stirring to get the onions just somewhat softened. Add the garlic and continue for another minute or two. In your baking pan, add the sauerkraut, the chopped apple, the wine, the ham pieces, and the bacon/onion/garlic mixture. Stir to mix. Add the pork steak on top, then add the brown sugar and pepper. Cover and place into a 275 F degree oven. You really can't overcook this, in my opinion, but after an hour, you can turn the heat DOWN to 250 F, and let the dish bake a couple of hours longer. About an hour before serving, place the sausages around the top. Any precooked sausages will just need to be well heated, but any raw sausages will need the time to properly cook through. Mash some potatoes, cut the pork steak and sausages into pieces, and dig in, putting some of the liquid over the potatoes, or in a little hollowed out spot, as you would for gravy. Don't forget the beer or wine! (I'll have a brown ale.) Oh, I almost forgot. Before cooking, take a pinch of raw sauerkraut. HEY! I just got an email from Germany. See, they haven't disowned me .... What the hell do they mean it has to be a green apple and a dry German white wine, or else?

* For the history of the word "sauerkraut," or more specifically, the word, "kraut," see: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2010/05/german-question-part-twelve.html

WORD HISTORY:
Time-This word, related to "tide," goes back to Indo European "di/da," which had the notion of "divide, separate into pieces." This produced "diman," which meant "periods of time, seasons." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "timon," with the same meanings. Whether this form only survived in the North Germanic languages is unclear to me, but Old Norse had "timi," the form still in use in Icelandic, which means "time, period," and Danish and Norwegian have "time," both pronounced like "tee-ma," and meaning "hour, class (session)," while Swedish has "timme," pronounced similar to the Danish/Norwegian, and with the same general meaning. This form "may" have then come to England with Old Norse to give Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "tima," meaning "time, period of time." Later this became "tyme," before the modern version. Before the borrowing from Old Norse, English used "tid" (long i) for "time" and "tide," before separating the two. German uses "Zeit" (the 'z' is pronounced 'ts' and 'ei' is pronounced as a long i), and "Gezeiten" for "tide" (technically "Gezeit" means 'tide,' singular, but the plural form "Gezeiten" is most often used).