Sometimes an old recipe pops into my head, one that once was in heavy rotation but that I haven’t cooked lately.

I don’t know whether it’s triggered by the time of year or by some combination of things I’ve eaten recently. Or maybe it’s just a random synapse firing as I meander through my day. But whatever the cause, I’m happy when it happens.

The memory of this pork and sauerkraut is linked to recollections of Marcia Adams, who had a cooking show on PBS called “Cooking from Quilt Country,” named after her first cookbook, published in 1988 and focused on Amish and Mennonite recipes. I loved this show. I remember her as being tall and no-nonsense as she hammered out such exotic (to me) dishes as Sausage Gravy on Biscuits, Baked German Potato Salad and a non-dairy, large pearl tapioca pudding cooked in a clear, brown sugar sauce that I never quite mustered the courage to attempt.

Her second cookbook, “Heartland: The Best of the Old and the New from Midwest Kitchens,” provided this pork and sauerkraut recipe. My edition of the book opens to this page and the recipe is covered with notes, scrawled by both me and my husband as we have made adjustments and provided clarity over the years.

If you’re not a great fan of sauerkraut, that won’t stop you from enjoying this dish. Adams calls for a thorough rinsing of the kraut before cooking, eliminating most of its pungency. The barley pretty much disintegrates during the long stew, giving up all its starch to the broth and acting as a thickener.

Adams calls for dicing the apple but I prefer keeping the chunks large so they remain intact and provide pockets of flavor, if not texture.

As for the pork, it’s very good with loin, which holds onto its structure throughout the long cooking, but it's even better with shoulder. The shoulder melts into tender succulence but still retains its porky goodness. And I always leave the meat whole, pulling it out and cutting it into chunks only when the cooking is done. I really love the ritual of it and I think it ensures that you will have big chunks of meat to serve.

Make sure all of the barley is submerged in the liquid. Otherwise, it won’t cook through. And don’t forget to season the meat with salt and pepper. So often, it’s the simplest things that really make the difference.

Enjoy!

Estonian Pork and Sauerkraut with Barley

Serves 6

2 pounds sauerkraut (Don't buy it in a can, oh no. Buy it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator case near the keilbasa.)

2 pounds boneless pork loin, rinsed and thoroughly dried, whole or in large cubes (I sometimes use boneless pork shoulder and I always cook the meat whole.)

1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced (I like larger chunks so they remain intact and I usually don’t peel the apple.)

½ cup regular pearled barley

1 tablespoon brown sugar, or more to taste (I use a generous tablespoon)

Salt and coarsely ground pepper

Place the sauerkraut in a large sieve, rinse and drain well. Season the meat with salt and pepper.

If cooking on the stove: Place the pork in the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven. Add the drained sauerkraut, apple and barley and enough water to barely cover the ingredients. Add the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ a teaspoon black pepper and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the pork is very tender, anywhere from 2½ to 4 hours, adding water as needed.

If using a slow cooker: Place the pork in the bottom of the insert. Add half the drained sauerkraut, the apple, barley, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Top with remaining sauerkraut and add just enough water to barely cover the top layer of kraut. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low (I always cook it for 8 hours on low), until the pork is very tender.

With both cooking methods, if you cooked the pork whole, remove it from the sauerkraut, cut it into generous chunks, then return it to the kraut. Serve in big soup plates with a chunk of buttered pumpernickel.

It’s even better the next day and it freezes very well.

Original recipe from “Heartland: The Best of the Old and the New from Midwest Kitchens” by Marcia Adams. Jill Blanchette is the multiplatform production manager at The Day. Share comments and recipes with her at j.blanchette@theday.com.