Fresh Kraut for Reubens or Anytime

Fork-and-Knife Reuben

My mom is of Irish heritage and Saint Patrick's Day has always been a celebration in our house. The inside of our house would be draped with paper shamrocks. We'd have green carnations in a vase on the table which was scattered with gold and green coins. My bedroom door had a pot of gold on it. The front door was decorated with what I was sure was a life-sized leprachaun decoration with movable arms and legs. Late in the afternoon, I'd sit at the front window waiting for my dad to get home from work so we could eat a special dinner. Funny, I can't remember much of what we'd have for dinner except for dessert (green ice cream!) and of course, cabbage, usually in the form of sauerkraut.

Nowadays, since reubens are one of my very favorite sandwiches, I cook a version of them once or twice a month. The recipe in American Vegan Kitchen for Fork-and-Knife Reubens initially included a recipe for fresh kraut. I mean really fresh, as in homemade. Since I had a few too many recipes, we opted for using store-bought, but with Saint Patrick's Day around the corner, I thought you might want to give this a try. It's delicious on reubens, or as a side dish.

Fresh Kraut

Serves 4

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2/3 cup minced onion

2 tablespoons minced red bell peppers

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 cups shredded cabbage

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/8 teaspoon caraway seeds

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon agave nectar

2 to 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (to taste)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, peppers and garlic. Saute about 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the white wine, cabbage, capers and caraway. Bring to a boil, partially cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is soft and wilted, about 30 minutes. Add a splash of water now and then if needed to keep mixture from sticking. Add remaining ingredients and simmer another 5 minutes.

To this day, my mom grows the biggest, healthiest shamrocks I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit her green thumb as I pick dead leaves off my shamrock daily. But I've got enough Irish blood to think that just might change!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

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