Wednesday 14 August 2019

Sauerkraut Soup

As you may know from recent posts, I made four jars of sauerkraut in early Winter.  Four jars is a fair bit to go through, so I had to come up with some recipes.  An old friend visited Latvia last year, and kindly gave me a little book of Traditional Latvian Recipes on her return.  It includes such delights as: sour porridge made with barley groats and curdled milk; casserole made with herrings and white bread, and pig's head with caraway and rutabaga!  I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I read these recipes:-)    




hearty sauerkraut soup

And then I found this one - sauerkraut soup - with a handful of ingredients and very little cooking info.  It basically says to fry up pork, carrot, a small amount of onion, with some sauerkraut and boil till tender.  You've gotta laugh.  So I did, laugh that is, then made my version of this tasty soup, sans pig heads or curdled milk or rutabaga:-)  I used pork in the form of bacon, and added a few more veg. and some herbs and spices.  Those Latvians must be tough!



ingredients:


2 tbs butter

1 tbs olive oil

1 large brown onion, chopped roughly

1 large carrot, chopped into chunks

180g. (6 oz) brussels sprouts, cut into halves

2 medium potatoes, chopped into large chunks

300g. (10.5 oz) bacon, cut in large dice

350g. sauerkraut

30g. (1 oz) pearl barley, parboiled in 1 cup water for 20 mins.

1.2 Litres boiling water

1 tsp stock powder (I used chicken but use whichever you prefer)

1/2 tsp caraway seeds

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground pepperberries or spice of your choice

a big pinch of dried chilli flakes 

1 tbs dried parsley or 2 tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped

sour cream, to serve

extra parsley, to serve



Method:


Heat the butter and oil in a large soup pot (mine holds 5.5L)

Tip in the onion, carrot, brussels sprouts, potatoes and bacon

Sauté the vegetables for a few minutes, giving them a regular stir while they start to colour

Now add the sauerkraut, barley (and its water), boiling water, and other ingredients to the pot

Give it a good stir, and let it simmer away for 20-25 minutes till the veg. are tender

Keep an eye on it, give it a stir occasionally, and add extra water if needed

When the veg. are to your liking, serve in large bowls with sour cream, extra parsley and black pepper, and crusty bread




ingredients gathered

   
in go the veg. and the bacon



ready to serve


ready to eat



such a cute little book (but weird)




artwork © Sherry's Pickings


32 comments:

  1. Quite a lot of other ingredients there besides sauerkraut! Using up what you made sounds like a challenge. I buy it in small jars and it lasts quite a while: we had a few spoonfuls on a Reuben sandwich today, as it happens. You didn't say much about how you liked it.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspotcom

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    Replies
    1. hi Mae
      yes still 2 jars to kill. CHicken and sauerkraut casserole coming up...We really liked this soup!

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  2. Your soup looks delicious.
    My very first sauerkraut batch turned too salty. I think when I added extra brine to keep it submerged I used too much salt.

    I’m going to make another batch when the weather cools down.

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  3. Mr P can attest to the deliciousness of this dish made by the ever clever Mrs P. It was made extra special by Mrs P homemade sauerkraut.

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  4. So very appetizing and delicious!

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  5. I am going to try adding sauerkraut to my next batch of soup - I have so much of it as well :)

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    Replies
    1. it was a nice addition tandy. and of course it's good for you:)

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  6. I don't think I've ever had sauerkraut in soup! Sounds like a fun -- and tasty! -- idea. Thanks!

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  7. Sherry, Great post. I make a huge batch of sauerkraut and keep eating it through Summer as I can't ferment it in our Summer. Don't you just love these kind of recipe books. They must need to bulk up on those foods to survive their Winters. Your soup looks delicious, I love sauerkraut in soup, casseroles etc.as it's so good for us.

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    1. i love it in casseroles with chicken and pineapple! yes really :)

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  8. Sherry, this sauerkraut soup looks so hearty and delicious! Love all the flavors in it!

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  9. This is so doable and incredibly healthy. It will be delicious. Thanks for a unique and stunning soup recipe :D

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    1. you're welcome merryn. i hope you make it and like it. cheers S

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  10. I for one think the omission of the pig's head is definitely a good move! I love anything with sauerkraut and this soup looks delish - with the combo of bacon, sauerkraut and barley, you really can't go wrong!

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  11. You gotta love those little travel books! I mean curdled milk and pig's head!? I'll take a hard pass on those. But you totally got my attention with this sauerkraut soup! What a fun idea. We typically use sauerkraut on sandwiches (Reubens!), but now I'm intrigued by the idea of using it in a soup.

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    Replies
    1. hi david
      i like to make a chicken and sauerkraut dish in winter, but this is the first time i've added it to soup. it was a nice surprise!

      Delete
  12. My first thought was, “Sauerkraut Soup? She’s got to be kidding!” But once I read your recipe, it sounds fantastic! Thanks for the eye opener!

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    Replies
    1. hi david
      it turned out better than i expected, especially since i bling-ed the recipe up a fair bit:) It was very plain in the book...

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  13. What an interesting idea! I had a really interesting layered cabbage dish at a Hungarian restaurant but it has lots of pork and I know you don't like pork.

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    1. yep i just can't do the pork thing even tho i eat bacon! i know, it's crazy. it just does my head in, knowing that it looks (and tastes??) like human flesh - apparently!

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  14. Sounds like this soup would go down well in latvia - that book sounds disturbing - though am happy to chow down on some rutabaga. I've seen made a potato and sauerkraut blended soup but I liked the sauerkraut more in muffins!

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  15. hi johanna
    yes those latvians must be just a wee bit weird:) Don't think i've ever had rutabaga...

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  16. Never made sauerkraut soup before. In fact never made sauerkraut! I wonder if my cousin in Austria could send me some of her home made sauerkraut so I can give this delicious looking soup a try!

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    Replies
    1. hi 'Unknown',
      i'm trusting that you are a real person and not a bot! yes this soup is good and making your own sauerkraut is fun. cheers S

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  17. That's a very hardy stew! Never have been a fan of just sauerkraut but I can see how it could add a ton of flavor to the stew. Looks delicious.

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