Tomato soup with cabbage and pork belly

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Boil water in a kettle.

2. Place the pork belly in a pot with the bay leaves, halved garlic cloves, one halved onion, pepper, salt, and caraway seeds. Pour in enough boiling water from the kettle to cover completely, and simmer for about 1 hour, until tender.

   Tip: Use a pressure cooker to shorten the cooking time.

3. Meanwhile, finely chop the second onion and shred or thinly slice the cabbage. Heat the lard in a pot and sauté the onion for about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage, caraway seeds, and salt, reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes and bell peppers into pieces, blend them, and press through a sieve into the cabbage. Strain the broth into the pot with the cabbage and add the meat. Peel one potato, finely grate it, and add it to the soup. Cook everything together for another 10–15 minutes.

5. Finally, season the soup with a little sugar, salt, and lemon juice.

Tip: Let the pork belly broth stand for a while so the fat rises to the surface, then skim it off with a ladle. Alternate small additions of sugar and lemon juice, tasting until the soup has a pleasant sweet-and-sour flavor.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Rajčinová polievka s kapustou a bravčovým bôčikom