Taste of the World: Slovakian Christmas Soup
You know the saying, "Practice makes perfect?" Well, the practice part definitely applies to this week's recipe.
My dear friend Martina Hatalova provided me with a "Christmas Soup" recipe from her home country, Slovakia. Considering this is a soup, the measurements are up to each individual's preference, which made me a tad nervous.
Fortunately, soup is pretty easy to make and pretty easy to preserve, hence its Slovakian origins. This recipe became popular at a time when the majority of the Slovakian population lived on self-sustaining farms.
With a very small amount of food imports and exports, natives had to use what they could farm off the land, and make it last.
The difficulty came in the odd variety of ingredients. Never having been a fan of sauerkraut before, it was a challenge making a recipe with sauerkraut as one of the main ingredients.
In the end, the mixture of the broth, the vegetables, cream, and the meat made for a very interesting dinner.
Out of all the recipes I've made so far, this was not the best, but it was an excellent learning experience.
With soup you must have patience, and this recipe definitely taught me patience, as well as appreciation for trying new things.
INGREDIENTS
1 white onion
1 jar sauerkraut
1 polish sausage
smoked ham
3 - 4 potatoes
mushrooms
dry plums
heavy whipping cream
olive oil
red paprika
salt
pepper
3 bay leaves
Preparation:
Caramelize chopped onion in a deep pan
When onion is almost golden & soft add red paprika seasoning
Add smoked ham cut into small cubes
pour in some water
add 3 bay leaves, salt, pepper and let cook/boil for 20 min
Meanwhile in a different small pot simmer the sauerkraut with all juices from the jar and a little bit of water and red paprika till sauerkraut gets soft
Add sliced sausage (thin rings) & sliced bottom mushrooms to the soup-cook for 10 min
Add 3-4 potatoes cut into small cubes to the soup
After the sauerkraut is soft enough, add it to a soup as well
Add 8-10 dry plums
Let it all boil for another 10-15 min
Pour in half or less then half of the heavy whipping cream, let boil for another 5 min & then enjoy