Sauerkraut for St. Patty's Day

As an alternative to cabbage with the Corned Beef, I suggest Sauerkraut.  This dish does have a little kick, the source of which I think is the red wine tannins.  The kick lasts only a few second (similar to a black pepper kick), but makes the stuff worth another bite.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of bacon (diced)
• 1/2 medium red onion (optional)
• 2 cloves of minced garlic 
• 1 TB caraway seeds
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
•  2 cups red wine
• 1 TB beef demi-glace
• 2 TB paprika
• 1 TB black pepper
• 1 shot of Kirschwasser or Tequila
•  2-quarts of home style sauerkraut in jars not cans.

 Procedure

• Dice and fry bacon halfway through, then add the red onion (optional) and the garlic and cook until brown and crispy. Keep bacon drippings for future use if there is enough.  I did not have much so I skipped keep the drippings.
• During the last 5 minutes of cooking above, add caraway seeds, brown sugar, and red wine and demi-glace. Cook until demi-glace is dissolved and mixture starts to reduce. 
• Add Paprika and black pepper and Kirschwasser or Tequila.
• Add sauerkraut (drained to reduce liquid) and mix thoroughly.
• If you do not serve immediately, warm mixture in a crock-pot until sauerkraut is ready to serve.