Kapuśniak is the name of a traditional Polish sauerkraut soup, prepared with sour cabbage (that is, sauerkraut) and meat, usually also served with different vegetables such as carrots and potatoes or celery root.
Ingredients:
1/2 kilo sauerkraut
1/2 kilo of smoked pork ribs
1 celery root or 2 potatoes
2 large carrots
1 onion
Spices to taste: black pepper, marjoram, caraway, juniper berries, etc.
This sauerkraut soup is very popular in many Eastern European countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, etc.). Although some preparations call for fresh cabbage, using sauerkraut is probably more common. In Poland there is a regional variant typical of the Tatra Mountains, called Kwasnica. This soup is more sour, since it is prepared with the sauerkraut liquid. Furthermore, only sheep or mutton meat is used in its preparation, and it does not usually include other vegetables.
I also recommend consulting the traditional recipe for Bigos, a traditional Polish dish that is prepared with many similar ingredients.
Kapuśniak recipe
Start by putting the ribs in a pot and cover with boiling water. Bring to a boil and then cover and cook over low heat for an hour. To give more flavor to the resulting broth, add some vegetables such as onion, carrot, leek, etc., depending on availability.
At the same time, chop and sauté the onion in a separate pot. Drain the liquid from the sauerkraut (it is possible to keep it for later use if we want a more sour soup, like the already mentioned Kwasnica). Add the sauerkraut and season to taste. Spices that combine very well are, for example, caraway seeds and juniper berries. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, taking care to mix to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom.
After an hour of the ribs having been cooking, add the sauerkraut to the broth, along with the carrot and celery root, both cut into small cubes. Continue cooking over moderate heat and at the end, season with marjoram and freshly ground black pepper. Correct the salt level if necessary, but keep in mind that both sauerkraut and smoked meat are usually already quite salty.
Before serving our Kapuśniak, discard the bones and cut the meat into bite-size pieces.
Tips and tricks:
- This soup can also be prepared with beef or lamb. The meat does not necessarily have to be smoked, however, cuts of this type are very common in Eastern Europe and add a lot of flavor to soups and stews.
- A very common option is to add dehydrated mushrooms, which can be added to the soup along with the sauerkraut and the rest of the vegetables.
- Celery root is a very tasty vegetable which does not provide significant amounts of carbohydrates, but it can be replaced by potatoes.