Drink It

Drinking sauerkraut juice may sound strange to Americans, but it is a popular digestif and tonic in Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia and elsewhere. You can drink it:

We enjoy drinking a small glass of sauerkraut juice as we eat the sauerkraut itself: with brats, franks, pork loin, etc.

And if you have a store throat, some people swear that sauerkraut juice is the cure (and much tastier than gargling with salt water).

Eat the sauerkraut, drink the juice. Photo © Viktorija | Fotolia.

 
The bacon sauerkraut recipe that follows was a hit at our July 4th festivities. The recipe is from Dietz & Watson, producers of premium deli meats. There are more recipes on the company website.

 
*Sauerkraut, a fermented food, is an anti-carinogen, digestive aid, immune support aid and probiotic. It’s high in nutrition and very low in calories.

Ingredients For 6 Servings

Preparation

1. COOK the bacon in the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 3 minutes.

2. ADD the onions and garlic; sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

3. STIR in the drained sauerkraut, chicken stock, wine and caraway seeds.Bring to a boil over high heat.

4. REDUCE heat to medium and cook about 45 minutes, until the stock is reduced by three-fourths.

5. STIR in the apples and potato and cook about 45 minutes more, until the apples and potato are dissolved. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The Alcove Cafe & Bakery in Los Angeles creates a bowl from radicchio leaves, and fills it with salad. It’s not just pretty: It’s fun food!

The Cafe serves it with their ginger shrimp, seared ginger-marinated shrimp with mixed greens, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes and plum dressing, topped with enoki mushrooms.

The dish is called “Ginger Shrimp Salad”—a bit of creative license, but if that makes people eat more salad greens, we’re all for it.

So your food fun for the week is:

Buy a large head of radicchio, remove the core, turn the leaves into a bowl and fill it with a colorful green salad.

Radicchio (rah-DEE-key-yo) is an Italian leaf chicory. There are different varieties, each named after the region in Italy where it is grown. The most common variety in the U.S. is radicchio di Chiogga, a round (pronounced key-YO-guh), tightly packed head of dark maroon leaves with thick white veins.

Radicchio has a bitter taste that mellows when it is grilled or cooked. Available year-round, radicchio is quite nutritious: high in magnesium, potassium and vitamin A, with a mere 9.2 calories in a one-cup serving.

When buying radicchio, pay attention to size. A fresh radicchio head should be about the size of a grapefruit. It you find one with a small, drier head, it likely means that it is older and the outer leaves have been pulled off to keep it looking good.

 
CHECK OUT THESE RADICCHIO RECIPES.

Enjoy the red, white and blue all day. Photo courtesy Shiloh Farms.

For three weeks leading up to Independence Day we’ve presented quite a few ideas for red, white and blue food.

Here’s the last one for Independence Day 2013:

For each meal today, use red and blue berries to create a red, white and blue dish.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: HOW THE CELEBRATION BEGAN

Independence Day, popularly known as the Fourth of July, commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The document declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

The day before, John Adams had written to his wife, Abigail: “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

The Festivities Began Two years Later

The first Independence Day celebration took place in 1777. Bristol, Rhode Island marked the day with a thirteen-gunshot salute in the morning and evening, honoring the 13 colonies that formed the United States of America.

Philadelphia also celebrated that day: with 13-gun salutes, speeches and prayer sessions, music, parades, troop reviews, an official dinner and the now-indispensable fireworks. Ships in the harbor were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.

In 1781, the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration. The first printed reference to “Independence Day” appears in 1791.

The Federal Holiday Was Declared In 1870

Congress established the first federal holidays in 1870, including New Year’s Day, the fourth of July and Christmas.

Much of the 1777l Philadelphia celebration had become July 4th tradition: barbecues, baseball games, bunting, civic ceremonies, concerts, fireworks, parades, picnics and more. To add some civics to your day, read the Declaration of Independence.

Here’s more Independence Day history.

FOOD TRIVIA: Hot dogs and potato salad were not served on Independence Day in the 18th and 19th centuries. The popular food choice was turtle soup! (Source)