Sauerkraut rounds out signature dish

Sauerkraut is such a quintessential Chicago dish and, given my food-intensive Polish heritage, something I grew up eating.

Sauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor.

Traditionally, we would eat it cooked with pork neck bones. You'd really have to work at getting the meat off of the bone, but with its rich and intense broth and acidic bite, it was addictive -- especially when you'd mash your potatoes into it with a fork.

I was fortunate enough to work for chefs Jean Joho and Thierry Tritsch at Everest. They showed me the techniques of Alsatian choucroute garni, sauerkraut with all kinds of delicious pork products and encased meats.

In making this dish, I've been inspired by the Green City Market. We've tried our hand at different types of sauerkraut, including rutabaga, turnip and red cabbage.

We've stuffed pasta sheets with housemade choucroute and braised goose legs, finishing it with a goose breast, ham and foie gras.

This recipe goes best with a salad of shaved apples and roasted potatoes, because I think that you need something really fresh and crisp to balance the whole thing out.

This dish is a little bit of work to start, but it is about very simple ingredients. And being a Chicagoan and a chef, I use both the oven and the grill -- even in January.

Patrick Sheerin is the chef at the Signature Room at the 95th, 875 N. Michigan.