Sauerkraut and Potato Dumplings

It's a cool day in January and that calls for some warm, filling food. The perfect answer is sauerkraut and dumplings, of course! It was one of my favorite childhood foods and evokes warm memories of contests around the table to see which of us kids could eat the most "dumps". It was also a January evening when I invited Yannis for his first home cooked meal  at my house.  I had made the standard huge recipe of sauerkraut and dumplings with sausages.  Back then my repertoire of recipes included spaghetti, chilli, popcorn and sauerkraut and dumplings. I thought this was a pretty fancy  dish and proudly served a huge portion to Yannis who didn't have a clue what sauerkraut was, much less the heavy potato dumplings floating on it.  I still don't know if he was being polite or was actually very hungry, but he ate it all up.  I had made a fresh fruit drink in the blender for dessert...he drank the whole thing before waiting for it to be poured over ice cream.  He'll never forget how incredibly thirsty all that salty food had made him--or how full he was.  I guess the combination kept him coming back--although he never requests sauerkraut and dumplings, we still enjoy the warm, filling memories and flavors on a cool January evening.

Bananas optional

Sauerkraut and Potato Dumplings
32 oz. jar of saurkraut
1 teas. brown sugar
salt and pepper
1 teas. caraway seed (optional)
sausages or pork roast or pork chops (garlic and onions optional)
3 large potatoes or 4 medium potatoes
2 eggs
3-5 cups of flour
1 teas. salt

Put the saurkraut in a large casserole, add the sugar and salt and pepper and enough water to cover the sauerkraut, about 2-3 cups, and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer at least 1/2 hour.  I like to cook sauerkraut for several hours, turning it off and on several times to mellow the flavor.  Brown the meat (and onions and garlic if you like) and add to the sauerkraut, and continue cooking till one hour before serving time.  In a medium mixing bowl beat the eggs and grate the potatoes into the eggs.  Add enough flour to hold the dumplings together without being too stiff-and not too runny.  Add the salt . Bring the sauerkraut and meat to a boil and drop the dumplings into the sauerkraut usung a large tablespoon. Turn the heat down and cover.  Let them simmer for at least 20 minutes or until the aroma is overwhelming and you just can't wait to get at them!!  Best served with pickles, beer and lots and lots of water!