Polish Sauerkraut Soup Recipe Kapusniak

KAPUśNIAK: POLISH SAUERKRAUT SOUP

Steps:

• Divide the ribs into smaller pieces, ideally of such a size that they fit easily in the soup plate. Season them with salt and pepper.
• Grab a frying pan and heat up 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Fry them on each side until they start to turn golden. Moved these fried ribs into a pot (ideally sized at 3 qt / 3 litres or bigger). Don't wash the frying pan just yet!
• Chop the leek and dice the onion finely. Fry these veggies on the fat that remained from frying ribs. At the end of frying, add crushed garlic clove and spices: one tablespoon of dried marjoram and half a teaspoon of caraway seeds. When heated, the spices release their essential oils, giving Kapuśniak its unique taste. Put the fried ingredients aside for now.
• Peel the vegetables (2 carrots, a parsley root and a chunk of a celery root). Dice them into squares (roughly with half-inch/1 cm sides). Drop them into the pot with ribs. Add 4 bay leaves and 6 allspice berries. Then, pour 2 quarts (around 2 litres) of water.
• Cook for 30 minutes on low heat, until both ribs and vegetables soften.
• Peel and cube the potatoes, add them to the soup and continue cooking until they soften (that takes around 15 minutes)
• As you wait, drain the sauerkraut (keep the juices!) and chop it roughly. Add them to the soup, together with the onion, leek and spices we have fried before.
• Continue cooking on a low heat for a further 30 minutes, in that time the sauerkraut will soften and release its aromas.
• Have a taste. Season with salt and pepper. If Kapuśniak needs more sour 'kick', add some leftover sauerkraut juice.
• Pour the soup into bowls / soup plates, making sure that everyone gets some veggies and meat. Sprinkle each portion with chopped parsley.

POLISH SAUERKRAUT SOUP RECIPE (KAPUSNIAK)

Steps:

• In a large pot heat up the oil, add the bay leaf, onion and fry for a couple of minutes over a medium heat stirring occasionally.
• Add the sauerkraut (and meat if using, see *Notes below), stir and continue frying for another minute or so. Add 1/2 the amount of stock, cover and bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Add the rest of the ingredients (NOT the salt), including the remaining stock, stir, cover, bring to boil again and continue cooking over a low heat for 50 minutes. DO NOT add salt until the soup is fully cooked as the sauerkraut is salty so taste the soup to decide how much salt it needs.

POLISH SAUERKRAUT SOUP (KAPUSNIAK)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place ham hocks or ham bone and water in a Dutch oven or other large pot. Bring to a boil, skimming off foam. Add onion, bay leaf, peppercorns , and parsley. Return to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook about 45 minutes, or until meat falls off the bones.
• Remove meat from broth, dice and return to the pot with barley, sauerkraut, and caraway seeds, if using. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer , uncovered, for an additional 45 minutes.
• If soup becomes too thick, add meat stock or water. If a more sour taste is desired, add some reserved kraut juice.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove ​the ​ bay leaf .
• Serve in heated bowls with hearty rye bread .

SAUERKRAUT SOUP (KAPUSNIAK)

Steps:

• Heat butter in a small frying pan and fry the spare ribs briskly to seal in their juices.
• Gently boil the ribs and all the other ingredients in the water for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauerkraut softens.
• Remove the spare ribs and bay leaf, season to taste and serve.