Potatoes and Sauerkraut, Sausage and Coleslaw Dinner

[Tommy T.]

Perhaps some or many of you have made something like this? Well, I have not been motivated to cook much lately and decided to try to get back into it...

So last night I cooked up some goodies for L for when she came home from school.

The first part was the most complex but still simple

Cole slaw:

1 red onion or 1/2 yellow onion, chopped finely

1/2 medium to large head - or more if you wish - English cabbage

One large or two medium size carrots

1/2 or more daicon radish - depending on how much heat you prefer

Mayonnaise

Worcestershire sauce

Salt

Pepper - coarsely ground

Chop the onion or slice it thinly

Slice the cabbage very thinly to essentially shred it. make sure the pieces are about 1 inch long more or less

Peel and coarsely grate the carrot(s)

Peel and grate the daicon

sriracha sauce or whatever your preferred hot sauce (if desired)

sugar - one or two teaspoons or more

Optional:

raisins

green olives, sliced

Mix the veggies together in a large bowl. Then start adding mayo a large dollop at a time and stirring in between. Keep adding until you like the texture, creaminess and flavour. Next, add in several large squirts of Worcestershire and mix. Taste again. Start with not a lot at first and keep adding until you like the mix of mayo and the Worcestershire. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly. Add in hot sauce if desired and same thing - start with a small amount and mix. Keep adding until it tastes the way you want it. Lastly, add some sugar - maybe 1 - 2 teaspoons only. Raisins give it a bit of sweetness, but also a chewiness and interesting flavour. Green olives add a bit of a salty punch. Put it in the refrigerator - it is best served chilled.

I have made this for L many times and she loves it. Same with some of her friends she has shared it with. The locally made cole slaw is very sweet, like so many other foods here and L prefers it less sweet and says it tastes different, but better than what she has had before.

The easiest part of this dinner is the sausages. Often at NCCC they have been carrying really good sausages from a local store called Swiss Deli. They come in packs of two, which is perfect for the two of us. They sometimes have Italian, Hungarian and also a Bratwurst. I boil them for about 15 minutes after thawing, then pan fry them in a small amount of oil to brown the sides. More rarely, I will chuck them onto the bbq and grill them that way. I use Grey Poupon as a condiment, but any good German or other strong mustard will do.

Then, clean, but don't peel, two or more potatoes, depending if it's just two of you or maybe some additional diners. Cut them up into roughly 1" chunks and actually boil them with the sausages - again, for about 15 minutes or when rather soft. Remove the sausages and set them aside, then dump out all but a few tablespoons of the cooking water. Then mash the potatoes and I don't care if there are some chunky bits - makes no difference to the taste and they are sort of a nice addition.

While the spuds and sausages have been boiling gently, peel and chop about 1/2-1 yellow onion (reds would be good, but they are so fiddly and I prefer easy) put some butter in a frypan and sauté on moderate heat until they start to turn golden brown. While that is going on - or before, take some canned or bagged sauerkraut, drain it thoroughly then put it in with the onion. I don't measure anything, but for, say, 3 medium to large potatoes, perhaps about 1- 1 1/2 cups of sauerkraut should work, but do it to taste. I probably use more than some people because I enjoy the kraut. Cook the sauerkraut on medium to low heat with a cover on for about 10 minutes. Then take the onion/sauerkraut mix and add it to the mashed potatoes and stir together thoroughly. I did not have any, but caraway seeds add a nice flavour to the mix. Also grind some coarse ground black pepper - all to taste. You can also cook up some chopped bacon to give it a meaty flavour and texture. This time, I prepared everything in advance like peeling and chopping so that the cooking part would flow easily, and it did!

L loved this dinner, so will have to make it again. I get tired of Filipino food and the only way I get American or some other styles is if I make it myself.

Bon appetite!

 

Edited November 8 by Tommy T.

[Old55]

What a great salad recipe Tommy! Will try it soon.

And Sauerkraut is a healthy food.

 

 

Edited November 7 by Old55

[Lee1154]

On 11/7/2024 at 3:57 PM, Tommy T. said:

Perhaps some or many of you have made something like this? Well, I have not been motivated to cook much lately and decided to try to get back into it...

So last night I cooked up some goodies for L for when she came home from school.

The first part was the most complex but still simple

Cole slaw:

1 red onion or 1/2 yellow onion, chopped finely

1/2 medium to large head - or more if you wish - English cabbage

One large or two medium size carrots

1/2 or more daicon radish - depending on how much heat you prefer

Mayonnaise

Worcestershire sauce

Salt

Pepper - coarsely ground

Chop the onion or slice it thinly

Slice the cabbage very thinly to essentially shred it. make sure the pieces are about 1 inch long more or less

Peel and coarsely grate the carrot(s)

Peel and grate the daicon

sriracha sauce or whatever your preferred hot sauce (if desired)

sugar - one or two teaspoons or more

Optional:

raisins

green olives, sliced

Mix the veggies together in a large bowl. Then start adding mayo a large dollop at a time and stirring in between. Keep adding until you like the texture, creaminess and flavour. Next, add in several large squirts of Worcestershire and mix. Taste again. Start with not a lot at first and keep adding until you like the mix of mayo and the Worcestershire. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly. Add in hot sauce if desired and same thing - start with a small amount and mix. Keep adding until it tastes the way you want it. Lastly, add some sugar - maybe 1 - 2 teaspoons only. Raisins give it a bit of sweetness, but also a chewiness and interesting flavour. Green olives add a bit of a salty punch. Put it in the refrigerator - it is best served chilled.

I have made this for L many times and she loves it. Same with some of her friends she has shared it with. The locally made cole slaw is very sweet, like so many other foods here and L prefers it less sweet and says it tastes different, but better than what she has had before.

The easiest part of this dinner is the sausages. Often at NCCC they have been carrying really good sausages from a local store called Swiss Deli. They come in packs of two, which is perfect for the two of us. They sometimes have Italian, Hungarian and also a Bratwurst. I boil them for about 15 minutes after thawing, then pan fry them in a small amount of oil to brown the sides. More rarely, I will chuck them onto the bbq and grill them that way. I use Grey Poupon as a condiment, but any good German or other strong mustard will do.

Then, clean, but don't peel, two or more potatoes, depending if it's just two of you or maybe some additional diners. Cut them up into roughly 1" chunks and actually boil them with the sausages - again, for about 15 minutes or when rather soft. Remove the sausages and set them aside, then dump out all but a few tablespoons of the cooking water. Then mash the potatoes and I don't care if there are some chunky bits - makes no difference to the taste and they are sort of a nice addition.

While the spuds and sausages have been boiling gently, peel and chop about 1/2-1 yellow onion (reds would be good, but they are so fiddly and I prefer easy) put some butter in a frypan and sauté on moderate heat until they start to turn golden brown. While that is going on - or before, take some canned or bagged sauerkraut, drain it thoroughly then put it in with the onion. I don't measure anything, but for, say, 3 medium to large potatoes, perhaps about 1- 1 1/2 cups of sauerkraut should work, but do it to taste. I probably use more than some people because I enjoy the kraut. Cook the sauerkraut on medium to low heat with a cover on for about 10 minutes. Then take the onion/sauerkraut mix and add it to the mashed potatoes and stir together thoroughly. I did not have any, but caraway seeds add a nice flavour to the mix. Also grind some coarse ground black pepper - all to taste. You can also cook up some chopped bacon to give it a meaty flavour and texture. This time, I prepared everything in advance like peeling and chopping so that the cooking part would flow easily, and it did!

L loved this dinner, so will have to make it again. I get tired of Filipino food and the only way I get American or some other styles is if I make it myself.

Bon appetite!

 

I have never seen sauerkraut in the Philippines.  Where did you find it?

[Tommy T.]

1 hour ago, Lee1154 said:

I have never seen sauerkraut in the Philippines.  Where did you find it?

There is a store/restaurant called Swiss Deli here in Davao. I believe they are also in Manila. They specialize in German, Swiss and some other European foods. I forget, but I think that S & R might carry it also?

Edited November 9 by Tommy T.

[Possum]

2 hours ago, Lee1154 said:

I have never seen sauerkraut in the Philippines.  Where did you find it?

I see it at SM Supermarkets and S&R. You can also make your own easily

[Mike J]

20 hours ago, Lee1154 said:

I have never seen sauerkraut in the Philippines.  Where did you find it?

Lazada carries quite a selection of sauerkraut.

[Lee1154]

On 11/9/2024 at 11:26 AM, Possum said:

I see it at SM Supermarkets and S&R. You can also make your own easily

I tried making it once and it did not turn out at all.  Do you happen to have a good recipe for making it?

[Possum]

8 hours ago, Lee1154 said:

I tried making it once and it did not turn out at all.  Do you happen to have a good recipe for making it?

You can find a recipe on any search engine. It's just cabbage and salt. Using kosher or sea salt is very important. Iodized table salt won't work well. Shred the cabbage, rub in the salt and pack it into a sterile jar. Put a leaf over the top layer, leave about an inch of space at the top. keep it in the dark and put a lid on. Let the gas out every day or so. Check for taste after a week or 10 days, let it go until it's sour enough to suit. Once it's sour enough put in the refrigerator or it will keep fermenting. Experiment with small batches until you're comfortable with it. The biggest problem in the Philippines is finding a cool enough place to let it ferment as it should be below 75F. I used a spare small refrigerator with the temperature turned up. If the temperature is too high [80F] it can spoil.If the temperature is too low it takes forever to ferment.

Edited Monday at 02:34 PM by Possum

[jimeve]

On 11/9/2024 at 9:25 AM, Lee1154 said:

I have never seen sauerkraut in the Philippines.  Where did you find it?

There's a market every Sunday in Valencia near Dumaguete and a German guy sells home made real sauerkraut and bratwurst sausages, also the red cabbage variety.

[Mike J]

I worked for a company called Steinfeld during the summer while attending college.  They made sauerkraut and pickles.  Both were made/cured in giant open top vats, about 20,000 gallons.  The original vats were made of redwood and they were in the process of transitioning to fiberglass as old vats were replaced.  Great place to work while going to school.  The harvest would come in for cucumbers, 100 ton plus per day, and I worked 10-12 hours six days a week, then 8 hours on Sunday.  Made enough money to pay for my school, so no tuition debt like US grads are seeing today.  As a bonus, I had six pack abs at the end of each summer.