New Year's Eve kapustnica (Slovak sauerkraut soup): braise pork shoulder as for goulash

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Soak the mushrooms

   15 min

   Rinse the dried mushrooms and cover with lukewarm water taken from the total amount. Cut the pork into roughly 2 cm cubes and finely chop the onions.

2. Braise the pork

   1 hr

   Sauté the onions in the lard until golden, remove from the heat, and stir in the paprika. Add the pork, return to the heat, and sear briefly. Pour in a ladleful of water, cover, and braise for 45 minutes, until the pork is tender. Add more water as needed.

3. Add the sauerkraut

   40 min

   Cut the sauerkraut into shorter strands if needed and add it to the pot along with its juices. Pour in the remaining water, then add the mushrooms with their soaking water, the prunes cut into pieces, the bay leaves, and the caraway seeds. Peel and dice the potatoes and add them to the pot. Cook for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

4. Add the sausage

   15 min

   Slice the sausage into rounds, add it to the soup, and cook for another 10 minutes. Mash a few pieces of potato against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon to thicken the soup.

5. Season and serve

   5 min

   Stir in the crushed garlic and add salt according to how salty the sauerkraut and sausage are. Remove the bay leaves. Serve hot, adding a spoonful of sour cream to each bowl.

Tip: Add salt only at the end, since both the sauerkraut and sausage are salty. When reheating the soup the next day, warm it slowly and thin it with a little water as needed. Read more: How to brown onions for goulash using water

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Výdatná silvestrovská kapustnica s duseným mäsom: pliecko sa najprv dusí ako na guláš