Sauerkraut Soup

On holiday in Slovakia this traditional soup was on the menu everywhere we went. It has become a favourite at home too. Polish sausage is available in supermarkets and from specialist Polish shops. Not made sauerkraut before? Have a look at the session notes from the 2019 Fermentation Workshop or Rachels Simple Sauerkraut on the recipe page. We are usually lazy and use stock cubes but if you use ribs or ham to make the stock then cut up the ham and add it to the soup at the end. This will give the soup more bulk.

2 litres ham stock
20g lard
1 onion - chopped
25g bacon - chopped
2 cloves garlic - chopped
15g dry mushrooms we use about 50g fresh mushrooms
½ teaspoon coarsely ground caraway seeds
½ tablespoon paprika
350g sauerkraut, squeezed reserve the juices and cut the sauerkraut into shorter lengths if desired for easier eating
150g Klobasa or other Polish sausage

In a large pan melt lard and saute onions until golden. Soak mushrooms in water if using dried ones.
Add the bacon and garlic to the onions, stirring until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the caraway then the paprika, then immediately stir in the squeezed sauerkraut.
Add mushrooms, whole sausage and stock and simmer for about 30 minutes until sauerkraut is soft.
Fish out the sausage and slice then return to the pot.
Use the reserved sauerkraut juices to add extra saltiness of sourness if desired.