hungarian sauerkraut with Black Salsify & sautéed kale

This version of sauerkraut derives really from Szegediner goulash, a spicy Hungarian meat stew with sauerkraut. It is spicy because it is cooked with garlic and paprika, creating a wonderfully intense flavor. Black salsify is a delicious vegetable, also called winter asparagus in Germany. It is a bit of work to peel, as the ca. 30 cm-long roots with thick black skin are often quite sandy and exude a sticky milky substance. To protect your hands, you can either parboil them or wear gloves. After peeling they should be dropped into lemon water to keep them from oxidizing. The vegetable can be served as a side dish, with sauces, or battered and deep-fried.

black salsify

schwarzwurzel

Black salsify is part of the sunflower family (Asteraceae) and cultivated as a root vegetable. Believed to have originated in Spain, the root is mainly a European crop with Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany the world’s largest producers. The roots are fragile and when broken lose their freshness. They can be kept fresh until springtime if stored all winter in cool, dark root cellars.

The sweet tasting flesh is very nutritious with proteins, fats, numerous vitamins (A, B1, C, and E) and minerals (potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium). The skin is inedible and must be peeled. Note that peeling releases a sticky gluey milk, so it helps to immediately drop peeled roots into salt water and wear gloves when handling them.

Black salsify is cooked and eaten as a vegetable, popularly served like asparagus in a white (bechamel), mustard, or hollandaise sauce. In Germany it has earned the nickname “winter asparagus”.

serves 4

ingredients

500 g sauerkraut
2 medium onions
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp paprika
1 t honey
6 tsp juniper berries
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
75 ml white wine
salt and pepper

1 kg black salsify
vegetable oil
½ lemon
salt and pepper

1 large bunch of black kale
1 medium onion
½ lemon
½ apple
oil for sautéing

sauerkraut

1. strain sauerkraut
   
2. peel and finely cut onions and garlic
3. in a cooking pot (preferably cast iron), heat oil and sauté onions and garlic
4. add tomato paste and mix well, then deglaze with white wine
5. add all spices, salt and honey
6. add sauerkraut and olive oil and mix thoroughly
7. add 2 T water
8. cover and bake in oven at 180° C for 30–40 min. (if you don’t have a pot suitable for the oven, transfer dish to casserole, cover with tin foil and bake this way)

black salsify

1. wash black salsify roots under running water
   
2. wearing gloves, peel the salsify roots with a vegetable peeler and immediately drop into a bowl with
3. lemon water
4. heat oil in a skillet or frying pan and sauté the roots until they are semi soft and golden brown, season with salt and pepper
5. add spritzer of lemon juice
   
6. serve salsify over sauerkraut and optionally, you can serve with some boiled or mashed potatoes

sautéed black kale

1. wash and chop
   
2. mince onion
3. heat oil in skillet
4. sautée kale and onion for up to 10 min., season with pepper and salt
5. add 1 cup of water and cover, let simmer for 5 min.
6. drizzle with lemon juice