Kapustnica: New Year’s Cabbage Soup

This cabbage soup is a true blast after any party, especially on the New Year’s. Kapustnica is another traditional recipe for the Holiday Season or any other time of the year. The taste is in the quality of meat, and the sour-sweetness of the cabbage. Therefore, don’t underestimate it and work with the best products. Kapustnica is better the 2nd day, even better the 3rd day. The more laid, the tastier.

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Shopping List

The Meat Stock:
2 medium spicy sausages
150g of smoked ham in piece
1 medium Pork Chop of the Rib, cleaned1kg of Sauerkraut in its own juice
2 bay leaves, 3 black peppers, 2 allspice
1 handful of dried mushrooms, soaked in warm water and hardly chopped
2-3 medium potatoes, grated
2 tablespoons of plain flour
2 teaspoons of smoked paprika powder
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A knob of butter
Lemon wedges and sour cream to finish

Instructions

Place the meat (sausages, smoked ham and pork) in a deep casserole pan and cover it with 2 liters of cold water. Put a lid on, bring it to boil and cook on medium heat for at least 30 minutes. Then, take out the meat. Let it cool down.

Next, add the cabbage with all its juice into the meat stock. Season with the spices (black peppers, allspice and bay leaves).

Add the mushrooms and potatoes. Simmer.

Meanwhile, in a small frying pan melt a knob of butter. Sauté some onion for a couple of minutes until it gets nicely soft. Add the garlic just to smell it out. Sprinkle with smoked paprika powder.

Add 2 tablespoons of flour and mix well until it gets lightly golden (not burned) and thickens. Then, pour in 1 glass of water and continue mixing with a whisking spoon until it gets to a smooth texture. Slowly add the mixture into the soup.

Culinary Tip

If you are not positive that the pieces of flour melt smoothly, you can prepare the onion with garlic in a separate pan and add it into the soup. Place in a cup the flour mixed with water and add it slowly into the soup through a sieve. That way you can avoid any lumps.

Presentation

Next, chop the meat into desirable sizes and add it all into the soup. Note that if the sausage is too spicy, like in my case, it is better to leave it in a whole and cut it directly into a plate. Continue cooking for 15 more minutes. Taste and taste. Accordingly to that, add a bit of lemon or more stock, depending on acidity and saltiness. Master it to a perfection!

Serve with fresh bread and 1 tablespoon of sour cream.

Makes 1 big pot of the delicious New Year’s Cabbage Soup: Kapustnica.