Comfort food: canned salmon soup

[idwiyo]

7. I buy sauerkraut from Polish or Russian deli shops and it's either vacuum packed in plastic bags or

sold straight from a barrel. Regardless how it's sold, make sure it doesn't list vinegar as an ingredient.

I would love to make my own but don't have a large enough fridge for it (you'll really need a walk-in fridge), and winters here are not reliably cold enough to let it ferment outdoors. Of all sauerkraut that I've tried I prefer Russian recipe that calls for layers of cabbage mixed with grated carrots divided by layers of apples. All packed in a wooden barrel. Properly done this sauerkraut is crispy and taste slightly sour and sweet with a wonderful aroma of apples. Mind you, apples are a real treat too, something one has to try because its impossible to explain how wonderful they taste.

Russians use their sauerkraut for cooking borscht (and there is NOTHING better than Russian borscht), shchi, making baked casseroles, as stuffing for pirojki and varenniki, and also as a simple salad made of sauerkraut, sweet white or red onions and roasted sunflower seed oil (mmmmm, love that served with boiled potatoes, roasted meat, and dark rye bread).

I'll post my recipe for borscht and baked cabbage after I cook them again because I need to measure ingredients and cooking time (I don't have anything written down).