My Polish friend, Katie, and her sauerkraut recipes.

[susie]

Katie and her family have come from Poland so that her husband can work in our local pig abbatoire (slaughterhouse). He's been here for five years, saving money so that she could come and join him with their two boys.

 

She does the most wonderful things with kraut, and I'd like to share some of her recipes.

 

She fries it with just a touch of oil and onions. First she fries the onions til they get a bit browned, then adds the kraut and continues to fry and toss it in the pan, til heated through.

[susie]

We have rent aid for lower-income families in France. When Katie first came to join her husband, Christophe, all he could find to rent for them was an itty-bitty studio apartment. There was her, him, and two boys of ten and five. The rent was very expensive and they didn't have any aid because the owner didn't want to sign a lease, but have the $$ under the table. It was a rough time for them, but now they live in a big and sunny apartment in town, which is in a government-sponsored housing estate, and have help.

 

Sometimes she makes kraut salad. Kraut, oil, grated carrot, and chopped onions.

[susie]

oops...should this be in recipes, instead of here?

[susie]

The Polish workers at the abbatoire are well thought of, and have the best work ethic of all the people there. Unfortuantely, they are also taken advantage of, and tend to be the lowest paid, with the lowest chances for advancement, the last to get back pay or bonuses. Classic immigrant stories.

 

Katie has another, unusual to me, recipe. She fries pork with onions and mushrooms, and then adds kraut and tomatopaste, and a bit of broth, and simmer this to make a kind of stew.

[susie]

Katie's kids, as most kids do when they are younger than about ten years old, have had no problem learning French...in fact, they often play together in French at home now.

 

Here's a recipe for a kraut soup.

 

Brown one pig's tail in fat, and add an onion. Then add kraut, sliced carrots, potatoes, and water...enough to make it more soupy than stewy. Simmer for an hour or two, and then add a few spoonfuls of kasha (which I think is maybe buckwheat groats), and simme til the kasha is cooked. Serve with brown bread and butter.