For lunch the other day I threw together one of my favorite treats -- apple & kraut quesadillas.
If you wince a little at the thought of combining apples and sauerkraut, you're probably not alone. But, trust me when I tell you that it's really a winning combination. On top of everything, they're quick to put together for a quick meal.
I was lucky enough to have some heirloom apples on hand from our CSA share. LotFotL warned us that they were ugly. And they really are. But, the flavor is pretty astounding. They're tannic and tangy, with a hint of sweetness that almost sneaks up on you.
"Those are some seriously old school apples" Peef exclaimed as he took a bite of a slice of apple. The look on his face was pretty priceless. You could see the sourness just sort of sneak up on him and twist his cheeks up into knots... and then the saliva kicked in and a sort of "perma-grin" took over.
I also happened to have a jar of my very favorite sauerkraut on hand. Bubbies has three ingredients -- cabbage, salt, and well water -- and it's fermented the old German way, in wooden vats. Unpasteurized, and heated only to a minimal level (to keep the jars from exploding/leaking), it's as close to raw sauerkraut as I can get without making my own. MMM.
So, we sliced the apples and cheese, and layered them onto some nice whole wheat tortillas.
After being on a hot griddle for a about 5-10 minutes, they were crispy, gooey and delish.
Sour Apple & Kraut Quesadillas
©BURP! Where Food Happens
That looks great to me. We love Bubbies Horseradish too. So great.
ReplyDeleteThis actually sounds amzing to me. I'm Polish so kraut is a fave for me.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is definitely an intriguing quesadilla. I am still imagining the flavour explosions here. . .
ReplyDeleteHaha, those apples definitely have a face only a mother can love, but that's a nice quesadilla. I make one with gorg and grilled nectarines that's pretty decent. Yours would kill with a brat and some nice dark beer.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love Heather's suggestion of pairing this with a brat and beer. My mouth is watering just thinking about all that great tartness! :-)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! Your choice of ingredients is unique AND it makes sense to me so now I have one big *drool* waiting to happen. I'm sure the cheese is a great way to temper the tang of the sauerkraut and apples so it must have been the glue in every way. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI've always loved apples and sauerkraut together. Years ago I had this wonderful dish that had apples, pork chops, and sauerkraut all cooked together. You make me want to go look it up.
ReplyDeleteThose were some seriously funny looking apples. The description of eating them was priceless.
Amanda - I'll have to check out their horseradish... not seen that!
ReplyDeleteCathy - Ah, so we are sisters in Kraut!
JS - Explosions is a good way to describe it. Lots going on!
Heather - Ugliest apples I've seen, but they were really tasty. And ah -- brats and beer. You've hit on two WI favorites there. Killer.
Kathy - Ditto!
Lore - Careful of drool on the keyboard... I worked a helpdesk once, and that can short things out!
Rachel - MMM. Apples, kraut, and pork. Three reasons why I'm looking forward to autumn!
That looks pretty tasty actually - well at least the cheese and kraut, cause I am not so big on the apples.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds so appealing and delicious -- and I've just eaten lunch. I definitely want to try this. What kind of cheese is that?
ReplyDeleteJenn - What? no apples?! :) For shame! (OK, OK, they're ugly anyhew)
ReplyDeleteethernautrix - the cheese pictured is actually a horseradish cheddar, which was quite nice.
These sound like a great combination. We love sauerkraut around here so these are sure to be a hit.
ReplyDeleteHow imaginative! Great combination of flavours.
ReplyDeleteyou have completely opened my eyes up to the idea of putting kraut in between tortillas. i mean if a reuban is one of my favorite sandwiches... why not this? i actually salivated when i read about this concoction... kind of like you do when you think ab out putting a sour patch kid in your mouth or a sour lemon?
ReplyDeletealong w/ heather, the first thing i thought of was pairing it w/ a brat or kielbasa. oh, and a beer of course.
I have to tell you, I looked for saurkraut here in France (home of choucroute) for 3 years, on the shelves, in jars or cans, before I finally noticed that they only sold it, fresh and raw, at the meat counter....
ReplyDeleteNow I'm happy.
I'll definitely try these...