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Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
The French and Germans fought for 300 years over Alsace, the long, narrow stretch of prime farmland snuggled into the Rhine River valley between them. France eventually prevailed, and that’s why the Alsatian version of fermented cabbage is called choucroute instead of sauerkraut. Slowly simmered in the region’s mineral-y white wine with a potpourri of pork parts and potatoes, it becomes choucroute garnie, which translates to the much less appealing garnished sauerkraut.
An Ashkenazi kosher recipe garnishes choucroute with beef and goose. The following, completely inauthentic version made with all-American turkey still has a connection, however tenuous, to tradition. Whatever you decide to garnish it with, the silky, incredibly tasty choucroute remains the star.
Choucroute Garnie With Turkey
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1–2 carrots, cut into ¾-inch quarter or half rounds
- 1 celery root, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil*
- 3–4 cups good sauerkraut**
- 1 cup white wine***
- 10–12 leaves fresh sage, chopped
- 6-inch sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher-style sea salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 smoked pork sausages
- 2 turkey thighs; legs also work
*Duck or goose fat is more traditional, so feel free to substitute.
**If you’re not making sauerkraut, several of your neighbors likely are, but it’s easy to find locally fermented kraut in these parts.
***Preferably an Alsatianish white like riesling, pinot gris, Gewürztraminer, or pinot blanc.
In a Dutch oven or similar deep pot with a lid, cook the onion, carrot, and celery root in the olive oil for a few minutes, then add the kraut, wine, herbs, spices, salt and pepper. Nestle the sausage and turkey parts into the vegetables, leaving the turkey skin (if using thighs) exposed. Cover but leave the lid slightly ajar. Cook in the oven at 250 degrees for three hours. If desired, remove the sausages and turkey parts and cut into smaller pieces for serving.