Slovak Kapustnica - sauerkraut and pork soup
A hearty soup made with sauerkraut and smoked pork, apples and dry mushrooms and enriched with carrots and beans.
Ingredients
- 600 g sauerkraut
- 300-400g smoked pork ribs, neck, ham hock
- 1-2 spicy / smoked sausages
- 1 cup dried Porcini mushrooms
- 1 apple
- 2 onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp ground caraway seeds
- 1 tbsp sweet or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp lard
- salt to taste
- 2 medium carrots optional
- 400 g canned red kidney beans optional
Instructions
- Prepare the Ingredients: If using bone-in meat, add it whole to a large pot; boneless meat can be cut into chunks. Slice the sausages.Rinse sauerkraut if too salty.Leave apples unpeeled and cut into wedges.Rehydrate porcini mushrooms with boiling water.
- Cook: In a pot, sauté onions, sausages, and bacon ( if using) in lard for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add meat, sauerkraut, enough water to cover, apples, quartered onion, mushrooms together with soaking water, and all herbs and spices.If you're using carrots, add them to the pot together with the rest of the ingredients.
- Simmer for 50–60 minutes, partially covered, checking occasionally to ensure there is enough liquid.If using canned beans add them in the last 7 minutes of cooking.
- Finish: If using bone-in meat, take it out, shred it and return it to the pot. Add chopped fresh parsley.
- Mix the sour cream with the flour until smooth, then stir it into the soup and gently heat for a minute. Alternatively, you can serve the sour cream on the side for everyone to help themselves.
Notes
The total calories for this dish are approximately 1850, depending on the specific products used. The dish serves 4 people, with each portion contains approximately 462.5 calories.