French · Authentic-ish French
Choucroute Garnie
382 kcal a serving, against 745 for the traditional version. That is 363 kcal off, or 49%, with 41.8g of protein. Serves 8. 2 hours.
What the traditional version is
A gigantic cast iron pot filled with fermented cabbage, white wine and every fatty cut of pork imaginable. Huge slabs of belly, thick slices of pork shoulder, smoked bacon and heavily seasoned sausages are all simmered together. It is typically served with boiled potatoes to soak up the vast amount of rendered pork fat.
What changed, and what each change costs
Ditching the pork shoulder for lean pork loin
Shoulder is packed with intramuscular fat, which melts into the cabbage and creates a heavy, oily dish. Pork loin gives you big, meaty portions with a fraction of the grease.
What it costs you. Loin dries out if you boil it for hours. You have to cook it carefully and slice it at the end, so you lose that melting, falling-apart texture.
Swapping fatty sausages and lardons for lean ham
Traditional sausages bleed an incredible amount of oil into the pan. Thick-cut lean ham brings the essential cured pork flavour to the cabbage without turning it into an oil slick.
What it costs you. You miss the snap of a proper sausage skin and the deep, smoky richness that thick bacon brings to the party.
Dropping the potatoes entirely
You already have a massive pile of cabbage and meat. Adding starchy potatoes just piles on heavy carbohydrates that you honestly do not need.
What it costs you. Potatoes are brilliant at soaking up the sharp, wine-infused cooking liquor. Without them, you miss out on a very comforting part of the dish.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 745 | 382 |
| Protein | 39g | 41.8g |
| Fat | 40.4g | 8.5g |
| Saturated fat | 14.4g | 2.6g |
| Carbohydrate | 40.7g | 17.1g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5.2g | 10.9g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish French prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. sulphites, celery.
The method is in the book
What you've got is a sharper, brighter plate of food. A greasy tavern feast is a different dish and you know where to find it. Because the massive slick of rendered fat is gone, the acidity of the wine and the fermented cabbage really shines through. The lean pork loin provides a massive hit of meat, and the thick ham brings enough salt and smoke to tie the whole thing together. I think it tastes significantly better when it doesn't leave an oily film on your lips.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback