Sauerkraut-Tomaten-Eintopf (sauerkraut and tomato stew)
A tomato-based cousin of a plain sauerkraut stew, the tomato's sweetness working against the sauerkraut's sharpness rather than the two competing, giving a rounder, less one-note pot than sauerkraut and potato alone. Paprika and a little sweet-hot mustard tie it toward a Hungarian-leaning stew rather than a straight German one.
Prep15 min
Cook35 min
Servings4
Christoph's sauerkraut and tomato stew, the tomato's sweetness rounding out the sauerkraut's sharpness instead of the two just competing.
Ingredients
Written for a 4 L pot
Units
Temperature
Servings
Stew
- 500 g sauerkraut, drained, briefly rinsed rounded
- 150 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 30 g neutral oil rounded
- 10 g sweet paprika rounded
- 400 g chopped tomatoes rounded
- 600 ml vegetable or beef broth rounded
- 300 g smoked sausage, sliced, added at the end (optional) rounded
- 10 g sweet-hot mustard (optional) rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
- to taste freshly ground black pepper rounded
Method
- Rinse the drained sauerkraut briefly under cold water and drain again.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sweat the onion for 4 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the paprika and cook 30 seconds, just until fragrant; do not let it scorch, which turns bitter fast.
- Add the sauerkraut, chopped tomatoes and broth. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer 25 minutes, until the sauerkraut is fully softened and the stew has thickened slightly.
- Add the sliced sausage, if using, and warm through gently for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the mustard, if using. Season with salt and pepper.
Method in the Thermomix
Written for a TM5 or TM6, 2.2 litre bowl.
- Onion into the dry bowl. Chop 3 sec / speed 5. Add the oil. Sauté 4 min / 100°C / speed 1, measuring cup off.
- Add the paprika. Sauté 20 sec / 100°C / speed 1.
- Add the sauerkraut, chopped tomatoes and broth. Cook 25 min / 100°C / reverse / speed 1, simmering basket on the lid.
- Add the sliced sausage, if using. Cook 5 min / 90°C / reverse / speed 1, gently.
- Stir in the mustard, if using. Season with salt and pepper, mix 5 sec / reverse / speed 1.
Notes
- The tomato is what sets this apart from a plain sauerkraut stew. Its sweetness works against the sauerkraut’s sharpness, giving a rounder pot rather than the two flavours simply competing.
- Cook the paprika briefly before adding liquid, but do not let it scorch. Even a few seconds too long turns it bitter and ruins the colour and flavour it is meant to add.
- Add the sausage at the end, gently. Simmered from the start it turns tough and loses flavour into the broth.
- It keeps for 4 days in the fridge and, like most sauerkraut stews, is often better the next day once the flavours settle.
Ingredient substitutions
- Smoked sausage can be smoked bacon, rendered instead of the oil at the start.
- Sweet-hot mustard is optional but adds a good sharp counterpoint; a milder Dijon-style mustard also works.
- Beef broth gives a richer result than vegetable broth if the dish does not need to stay vegetarian.
From Christoph Mayer