I’m crazy about sauerkraut. I love colder seasons just because of all the sauerkraut we get to devour. We eat it as a salad, in main dishes and side dishes. I’m yet to discover a sauerkraut desert to make the obsession come full circle.

This dish is so filling and easy, it’s just beautiful. Sure, it takes a while for it to cook, but you don’t have to hover over the pot so active cooking time is minimal. Also, this makes a humongous batch. I froze a ton, as it reheats wonderfully.

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields about 10 generous servings / 0.78 EUR per serving / 7.81 EUR for whole)

500 g dried beans, presoaked overnight (2.00 EUR)

4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided (0.05 EUR)

1 large onion (0.10 EUR)

4 carrots (0.13 EUR)

3 chili peppers (0.20 EUR)

3 garlic cloves (0.07 EUR)

2 tbsp tomato paste(0.13 EUR)

2 dried bay leaves (0.03 EUR)

2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (0.01 EUR)

Sausages, smoked bacon or cured meats of choice (I used 1 kg of cured pork ribs and leftover bacon skins I had lying around); for vegan version omit (4.00 EUR)

6-8 cups warm water (–)

500 g sauerkraut (1.00 EUR)

2 tbsp plain white flour (0.01 EUR)

Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped (0.07 EUR)

Salt and pepper to taste (0.01 EUR)

METHOD:

Rinse beans after soaking, place in pot, cover with fresh water and simmer on medium heat for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, clean and dice all the vegetables. Drain beans, discard the cooking water and rinse well. Set aside.

In a large pot saute diced onions on 2 tbsp of oil until translucent. Add diced carrots, chili peppers and minced garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste, bay leaves, paprika, rinsed beans and meats of choice if using, cover with about 6-8 cups of water, so everything is fully submerged, and simmer for 45 minutes on low. Wait with seasoning until the stew is done; my pork ribs and sauerkraut were pretty salty on its own. 45 minutes into cooking add sauerkraut and simmer for another 45 minutes, up to 1 hour, until the beans are completely softened.

In a small saucepan mix together the remaining 2 tbsp of oil with flour and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until flour starts smelling nutty and turns golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Once done, carefully pour into the pot of stew (it’s gonna be bubbly, so watch your hands). Stir until fully incorporated, add parsley and cook through for 5 more minutes. Adjust seasoning, fish out bay leaves and bacon skins, if using, and serve with a thick slice of yummy bread of your choice.

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Luda sam za kiselim zeljem. Hladnije vrijeme mi je drago samo zato jer ga možemo tamaniti. Jedemo kiselo zalje u salatama, u glavnom jelu i u prilozima. Moram samo još otkriti neki desert sa kiselim zeljem da obsesija napravi puni krug.

Ovo je jelo tako zasitno i lagano da je to milina. Istina, treba dosta vremena da se sve skuha, ali ne morate stajati nad loncem, tako da je aktivno vrijeme koje treba utrošiti zapravo minimalno. Također, dobiti ćete ogromnu količinu. Ja sam smrznula brdo variva, jer se super podgrijava.

SASTOJCI:

(Za oko 10 izdašnih porcija / 5,85 kn po porciji / 58,47 kn za sve)

500 g suhog graha, namočenog večer prije (15,00 kn)

4 žlice ulja, podijeljene (0,40 kn)

1 veliki luk (0,75 kn)

4 mrkve (1,00 kn)

3 čili papričice (1,50 kn)

3 češnja češnjaka (0,50 kn)

2 žlice koncentrata od rajčice (1,00 kn)

2 suha lovorova lista (0,20 kn)

2 žlice crvene slatke paprike (0,10 kn)

Kobasice, dimljena slanina ili suho meso po izboru (ja sam stavila oko 1 kg dimljenih suhih špic rebrica i kože od špeka koje sam skupljala u frižideru); za vegansku verziju izbaciti (30,00 kn)

6-8 šalica tople vode (–)

500 g kiselog zelja (7,50 kn)

2 žlice oštrog pšeničnog brašna (0,01 kn)

Svežanj svježeg peršina, sitno nasjeckanog (0,50 kn)

Soli i papra po ukusu (0,01 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Isperite grah nakon namakanja, stavite u lonac, pokrijte svježim vodom i kuhajte na srednjoj vatri oko 45 minuta. U međuvremenu, očistite i sitno nasjeckajte svo povrće. Nakon 45 minuta ocjedite i dobro isperite grah i bacite vodu od kuhanja, pa ga stavite na stranu.

U velikom loncu pirjajte nasjeckani luk na 2 žlice ulja dok ne postane proziran. Dodajte nasjeckane mrkvu, čili i češnjak pa pirjajte 5 minuta, povremeno miješajući. Dodajte koncentrat rajčice, lovorov list, slatku papriku, ocijeđeni grah i meso ako ga koristite, prelijte sa 6-8 šalica tople vode da sve bude potopljeno, pa krčkajte na laganoj vatri 45 minuta. Pričekajte sa solju i paprom dok vam varivo ne bude skroz gotovo; moja rebrica i zelje su bili jako slani pa nije uopće trebalo dodatno soliti. Nakon 45 minuta dodajte kiselo zelje i kuhajte još 45 minuta do 1 sat, dok grah skroz ne omekša.

U maloj tavici ili lončiću pomiješajte preostalih 2 žlice ulja sa brašnom i kuhajte na srednjoj vatri, stalno miješajući, dok brašno ne zamiriši i ne postane zlatno-smeđe, oko 3-5 minuta. Kada je gotovo, oprezno zapršku dodajte u grah, pazeći da vas ne pošprica po rukama. Miješajte dok se zaprška sasvim ne sjedini sa varivom i prokuhajte još 5 minuta. Probajte i začinite solju i paprom po potrebi, ispecajte van lovorove listove i kože od špeka ako ste ih stavili, i poslužite sa debelim komadom omiljenog kruha.