Christmas kapustnica: Slovak sauerkraut soup

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Soak the mushrooms

   Rinse the dried mushrooms, pour over 300 ml of lukewarm water taken from the total amount, and let them soak while you prepare the sauerkraut.

2. Cook the sauerkraut

   Cut the sauerkraut into shorter pieces if needed and place it in a pot with its brine. Add the remaining water, bay leaves, allspice, black peppercorns, and caraway seeds. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms and prunes

   Lift the mushrooms out of the water, chop them finely, and add them to the sauerkraut. Carefully pour in the soaking liquid, leaving any grit at the bottom of the bowl behind. Add the prunes and cook for another 20 minutes.

4. Make the roux

   Finely chop the onion. Melt the butter in a skillet and sauté the onion until translucent. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes to make a light roux. Remove from the heat, stir in the paprika, and immediately add a ladleful of soup to keep the paprika from turning bitter.

5. Thicken the soup

   Whisk the roux mixture until smooth, pour it into the soup, and add the crushed garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes and season with salt to taste.

6. Finish with sour cream

   Mix the sour cream with a ladleful of hot soup, then pour it into the pot. Gently heat the soup without boiling to keep the sour cream from curdling, then serve.

Tip: Kapustnica tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have melded. Feel free to make it on December 23 and stir in the sour cream when reheating.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Vianočná kapustnica so sušenými hríbmi a slivkami