Somebody was looking for something to make using duck fat

Choucroute
Created by Justin North

* Cuisine: French
* Serves 12 as an accompaniment

This is the French word for sauerkraut, meaning ‘bitter herb’, and is a specialty of Alsace, Lorraine
and parts of Germany. The dish is finely sliced white cabbage that is then salted and fermented.
Traditionally it accompanies smoked pork or sausages.

Featured as part of our Cooks and their Books series, this recipe comes courtesy of Justin North,
owner and manager of renowned Sydney restaurant Bécasse, and Sydney Morning Herald Good
Food Guide 2009 Chef of the Year.

More Justin North recipes
Ingredients

15 juniper berries
10 black peppercorns
3 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves garlic
8 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
100 g (31?2 oz) Wet Salt (page 9)
1 large Savoy cabbage, cored and very
finely sliced
300 ml (10 fl oz) Rendered Duck Fat
(page 274)
2 large onions, very finely sliced
300 g (10 oz) pancetta, cut into a few big
chunks
750 ml (1 1?3 pints) riesling
Preparation

Crush the juniper berries, peppercorns, star anise and cinnamon in a mortar then add the garlic,
thyme and bay leaf and pound to a fragrant paste. Scrape into a large mixing bowl, add the salt and
mix together well. Add the cabbage to the bowl and mix together thoroughly. Cover with cling film
and leave in a warm place for 24–48 hours to ferment. The longer you leave it, the stronger the
flavour will be. Tip into a colander and rinse well under running water to remove the salt.

Preheat your oven to 100°C (210°F). Heat a large casserole dish and add the duck fat and onions.
Sweat for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the cabbage to the pan with the pancetta and riesling.
Cover with a piece of greaseproof paper cut to the size of the casserole dish. Cover tightly and
braise in the oven for 4 hours. Stir every 30 minutes to make sure the cabbage cooks evenly and
doesn’t burn.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Tip onto a flat tray and pick out any large pieces of spice.

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Is that your nose, or are you eatting a banana? -Jimmy Durante