Slovak Cabbage Sluop (Sauerkraut Soup) by Beachdee

[BakerAunt]

SOUP: Slovak Cabbage Soup (Sauerkraut Soup)
Submitted by beachdee on April 24, 2004 at 9:25 pm

Got this recipe after spending 3 weeks with our Slovakian exchange "daughter's" family in Bratislava--always thought I didn't like sauerkraut until I had this soup! (I guess you guessed I'm not REALLY making soup in this old-style Slovakian kitchen in a museum village in the Tatra Mountains...)

4-6 slices bacon (depending on how many servings)
1 small onion, diced
1 quart water OR 3 cups water and 1 cup mushroom broth
1 tsp. sweet paprika (ground sweet red pepper, not the hot-spicy kind)
16 oz. Clausens crisp sauerkraut (in refrigerated section of store) or favorite sauerkraut, rinsed
1/4 tsp. salt
3-4 whole allspice seeds
1/4 cup dried mushrooms (preferably mix of porcini, cremini, oyster) OR 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
ground pepper to taste
4 tsp. sugar
2 mashed garlic cloves OR 1 tsp. fresh ground garlic from a jar
1/4 lb. lean pork shoulder, in half-inch cubes OR 3 Hormel smoked pork chops (boneless), cubed
1 med. russet (baking) potato
sour cream

Fry bacon in soup pot until crisp. Remove bacon and cool so can be crumbled, saving about 1 tblsp. grease in pot. Add onion to hot bacon grease and sautý until not quite translucent.

Add water, paprika, rinsed sauerkraut, and remaining seasonings up through the garlic. Stir well and bring to gentle boil.

Add cubed meat and let simmer gently until meat is cooked/warmed through. Meanwhile, peel and grate the potato (smaller holes, not largest).

After the meat has cooked about 5 minutes, add the grated potato, turn down heat, cover, and let simmer gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of crumbled bacon bits on top, with a fresh loaf of thick-cut bread. Very healthy and hearty!

Added NOTE: the original recipe calls for a bit of VEGETA dried instant broth/flavor, but I don't use it because it has MSG in it. I'd say (since this is the way I cook) that one could enhance the broth (beyond plain water) by using whatever suits your taste (e.g., half water, half some flavored broth).

Serves 4 to 6.

comments
Submitted by geraldmchenry on Fri, 2010-09-24 13:50.
As We're not fans of sauerkraut - would substituting fresh chopped cabbage work? Pat

Submitted by beachdee on Sat, 2010-09-25 00:28.
Sorry took so long to reply, Pat. I didn't think to check the recipes for comments etc., still not used to this new forum!

I'd say that fresh chopped cabbage would be delicious, it just would be cabbage soup, not sauerkraut soup -- and nothing wrong with that! The other ingredients should go just as well with the cabbage as the kraut. Let me know what you think if you try it! -BeachDee

Submitted by mhang on Sat, 2010-09-25 16:42.
I have been looking for a good "cabbage soup" recipe since my husband tasted his first bowl at Frisches Big Boy, in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the 1970s. So I will try both cabbage and sauerkraut. We still have 2 heads of cabbage in the garden, so this will make for a good challenge. I will let you know how it goes as he is the expert soup cook in our house.
Martie Hang in Circleville, Oh

Submitted by beachdee on Wed, 2010-11-10 03:53.
Martie, how did your soup Taste-Off come out?

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