It’s been months since I shared a recipe.  But having lost this bit of cooking treasure for a few hours last month, I’m posting it here for you and for me and for posterity, too.  There are some recipes I don’t want to think about losing. This is one of them.

Part of our lives since the mid-nineties, it came to us out of the glossy pages of a recipe magazine, the sort stacked in wire racks near cash registers, that I once picked up during busy career days…to peruse to pass away minutes till time to check out my cart full of groceries.  In one of those odd life ironies, now that I have more free time, I no longer shop at Walmart…which means I rarely stand in grocery lines.

We prepare this recipe along with a skillet of fried potatoes to serve as sides with grilled or broiled bratwurst, which makes a nice winter meal.  In summertime, it becomes a tasty relish for brats (or hot dogs) on buns.

When I say ‘we,’ it’s a way of saying that it’s my better half that’s in charge of preparation.  He makes the kraut and brats and I get out the buns and potato chips 🙂  Or fry the potatoes… just like Mother did more suppers than not, all those years ago when I was growing up.

With my husband entering retirement next week — how can this be??? — maybe we’ll team up in the kitchen more often.  I hope so.  Having that chemistry background, he likes to experiment with new recipes where I tend to love the same old things.  Like this recipe lost and found.

Sweet German Sauerkraut

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups coarsely chopped onion

1 16 oz can sauerkraut, well-drained.

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 tsp caraway seed

Heal oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add sugar.  Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture turns a light caramel color — about 10 minutes.  Add onion, sauerkraut and salt (some sugar will harden, but will eventually melt while cooking).  Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add vinegar and caraway seed and simmer for 30 minutes.  Serve warm.  Leftovers freeze nicely.

Serve warm.  Leftovers can be frozen.