April 13 – 19, 2026

Monday:                  Spring Miso-Lentil Soup with Parmesan Crostini

Tuesday:                  Baked Cheddar and Leak Pasta

Wednesday:          Pork Meatballs and Sauerkraut

Thursday:                Sausage and White Bean Soup w/ Swiss Chard

Friday:                      Shrimp in Vermouth and Fennel Tomato Sauce

Saturday:                Margharita Pizza with Mushrooms

Sunday:                   Grilled Flat Iron Steak Grilled Vegetable Salsa

I have often found a dessert too sweet or a steak too well done but never, as far back as I can remember, have I found a kraut too ‘sauer’.  I will have sauerkraut on mashed potatoes, or hot dogs, or with spareribs or pork of any sort.  And that is what drew me to this week’s recipe.

And besides a certain sacred mystery and the baseball double-play requiring the threesome of Evers to Tinkers to Chance, there are no ingredients that pull themselves into each other’s magnetic attraction more than pork, apples and sauerkraut.  [I am aware that turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, as well as spareribs, beans and coleslaw are equally holy trios, but hyperbole is a necessary element in this blog and you need to give me a lot of poetic (well, literally, prosaice) license.  I will admit that sauerkraut, by itself, has never graduated to the entrée section of the menu.  But that is beside the point I am trying to make – as is much of this post.  If, however, you didn’t enjoy digressions, I think you wouldn’t be following this blog.]

I had thought, by this time of year, that we would be talking about grilling outdoors and rosé wines and, in the near future, Klondike bars.  But I find my self wearing extra layers of clothing, using a quilt at night and wearing socks – I almost never wear socks.  And just three days ago I woke up to frost on the grass and grilling deck.  In this weather, a dish we had the week before last is ideal.  You get your fruit, your vegetable and your protein all together in a warming broth that you can rub your hands over to thaw them out.  And meatballs are involved – always a good sign for the carnivores among us.

This dish is a Michael Symon creation and the particular combination of spicy pork, sauerkraut and apples reminds me of the Pittsburgh/Cleveland part of the country, just south of the Great Lakes, west of the Alleghenies and north of the muggy heat in D.C.  In spite of our grimy, tough reputations, this is one of the friendlier spots on the continent – and I the Steelers more than offset the Browns.

To wrap up, the sour tang of kraut is a taste I have loved since I was a kid (yes, that’s a bit odd) when apples were a staple in the Stewart household – Dad would bring home bushels of them and put them in our fruit cellar (I don’t know if we had a real fruit cellar – I’m not even sure what a fruit cellar is – but when I grew up, there were generally two fairly chilly storage rooms in most basements where people would keep apples and potatoes), and the idea of being able to grab an apple (these were tangy/sweet apples) at any time still appeals to me.  Throwing an apple at one of my brothers – having four brothers increases the odds of hitting at least one – also appealed to me.

Billy was particularly fond of last week’s dish and Beez, though it was not on her list of healthful, slimming foods, also dug in.  This denotes a true keeper at Casa Stuarti, though I imagine I won’t be cooking this again until the weather turns chilly next fall – but you can cook it right now and, if you live in the Pittsburgh area, the temperatures will be perfect for doing so, this weekend.

Pork Meatballs in Sauerkraut

(adapted from Michael Symon, Simply Symon Suppers)

Timing:    105 minutes (30 minutes to form meatballs, 75 minutes to cook)

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground pork, 3 cups sauerkraut, 2 cups apple cider

2 small yellow onions, finely chopped (1 cup)

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced

2 large eggs, beaten, ½ cup finely chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon celery seeds

2 medium garlic cloves, minced (we used garlic power)

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sweet paprika, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, Ground black pepper, Kosher salt

Prep:

Peel and dice the Granny Smith apples, chop onions and parsley, beat eggs, measure out other ingredients.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Make Meatballs:

Set a large skillet over medium and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, heat to shimmering, add the onions, garlic and large pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring from time to time for about 3 minutes to soften.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the pork, eggs, panko, parsley, celery seeds, paprika, cayenne and the onion and garlic mixture, once it’s cooled.

Season with salt and pepper.  Mix until combined and form the mixture into 12 equal meatballs – about the size of a golf ball.  Larger will be just fine – and pretty damn impressive.

Cook Meatballs, Sauerkraut and Apples

Set a large Dutch oven over medium.  Add remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil and heat to shimmering.  Work in batches (probably 3) and cook the meatballs until mostly browned all over – 6 minutes per batch.  Transfer meatballs to a plate as each batch is finished.

Drain all but one tablespoon of fat from the pan (pour the fat into a bowl and put 1 tablespoon of it back into the Dutch oven and reheat to medium.  Add the apples and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the sauerkraut and apple cider and bring to a simmer.  Now add the meatballs.  Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the apples are soft and meatballs cooked through – 30 minutes or so.

Serve – a nice green salad and some crusty bread would go well.