Kapustnica: Slovak sauerkraut soup with smoked meat

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Soak the mushrooms

   Rinse the dried mushrooms and cover with 250 ml lukewarm water taken from the total amount. Let them soak.

2. Cook the meat

   Place the smoked meat in a large pot, pour in the remaining water, and add the bay leaves, allspice berries, black peppercorns, and caraway seeds. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.

3. Add the sauerkraut and mushrooms

   Chop the sauerkraut into shorter strands if needed and add it to the pot along with its brine. Lift the mushrooms out of the soaking water, chop finely, and add to the soup. Carefully pour in the soaking water, leaving any grit at the bottom of the bowl. Cook for 30 minutes.

4. Add the sausage

   Remove the meat, discard the bones and skin, cut the meat into pieces, and return it to the soup. Add the sausage, sliced into rounds, and cook for another 10 minutes.

5. Thicken with a roux

   Heat the lard in a skillet and sauté the finely chopped onion until softened. Stir in the flour and cook 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.

   Whisk the roux until smooth, pour it into the soup, add the crushed garlic, and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt at the end.

6. Serve

   Ladle the soup into bowls and add a spoonful of sour cream to each serving.

Tip: If the smoked meat is very salty, briefly boil it in a separate pot of water and drain it first to keep the soup from becoming too salty. Add salt only at the end, since the sausage and sauerkraut also season the soup.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Vianočná kapustnica s údeným mäsom a klobásou