Recipe: Croatian Sausage and Sauerkraut Stew

Croatian Sausage and Sauerkraut Stew
(Croatia)

Although one will find stews like this throughout eastern Europe and the Balkans and even in the Trentino-Alto Adige province of northern Italy, this stew from Croatia called kobasice sa kiselim zeljem is a very simple rendition that is best made with a good smoked pork sausage such as Polish-style kielbasa, Cracow sausage, or hunter's sausage, all mostly found in Polish-American, Hungarian-American or German-American delicatessens.

2 tablespoon pork lard
2 ounces smoked bacon, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 juniper berries, crushed and ground in a mortar
1 teaspoon paprika
2 pounds sauerkraut, drained
1 1/4 pound Polish sausage, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large casserole, melt 1 tablespoon lard over medium-high heat, then cook the bacon, onion, garlic, juniper, and paprika until golden, about 5 minutes, stirring frequnetly so the garlic doesn't burn. Add the sauerkraut, reduce the heat to medium, and cook partially covered until the sauerkraut is golden and soft, about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding some tablespoons of water to keep it from sticking.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt the remaining tablespoon of lard over medium-high heat, then brown the sausage, about 8 to 10 minutes, moving the pieces around with a wooden spoon. Add the sausage to the sauerkraut, taste, then season with salt and pepper if necessary, and cook, covered, until the sausage becomes very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 5 servings