Dad’s Kapusniak (Sauerkraut Soup)

The holidays are finally over and though I do enjoy them I am always just as glad to see the tree come down as I am to see it go up. Except for the little LED lights, I do love them and wish they could just stay all winter to get us through the darkest time of the year.

For some kids with divorced parents I imagine Christmas can be a crazy time. But for me having two distinct families to spend the holidays with was not such a bad thing. My paternal grandfather never did like Christmas morning, so we spent Christmas eve with my dad and grandparents and then spent Christmas day with my mom and stepdad. It worked for us.

Though it was on the wrong day, our Christmas eve dinner was always the traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner meal usually eaten in January. Kutya, peroghy, cabbage rolls, fish, beets, mushrooms…the whole shebang. I loved it. Besides the carb laden food that is so hard to resist the evening was great for two little kids who got to open a few gifts one night earlier than all their friends.

Over time, the Ukrainian side of my family has continued to serve this meal, now usually in January, closer to the actual date of  Ukrainian Christmas. Many of the dishes have remained exactly the same, but some have come and gone over the years.

At some point my dad started making this delicious sauerkraut soup, which we would eat the next day for brunch. Everyone would get back together the next day and come for a hearty bowl of soup, served with some bakery bread and a fruit plate. It is an addition to the tradition that I really like. So this year, even though nobody was coming back the next day, I made a big batch of soup just for me and my family.

For some reason, in the folder of recipes that I have from my dad, this soup is labelled as an Italian Christmas soup. There is however a very similar soup in the Ukraine called kapusniak and I am certain that this is where his inspiration came from. Maybe he changed the name because he uses Italian sausage (?). I have no idea but I’m officially renaming this recipe as of today. It fits better into our traditional theme and I’m fairly sure that it is not Italian. Do Italian’s even eat sauerkraut?

This highly flavoured, smoky and slightly spicy soup is perfect on a cold winter day, with or without the twinkly lights. Serve it alone or with a savoury cheese biscotti.

This does make a huge quantity of soup but it will freeze very well if you are not serving a crowd.

Dad's Kapusniak

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 20

Author: www.miasdailydish.com

A hearty winter soup that my Dad served for brunch the day after Ukrainian Christmas eve.

Print

Ingredients

• 4 lb smoked ham hocks
• 4 links smoked hungarian sausage or hot italian sausage, sliced about 1/4" thick. If using Italian sausages, cook gently in pan before slicing.
• 3 lb sauerkraut
• 6 prunes sliced
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 10 juniper berries
• 6 quarts water
• 1 small can tomato paste
• smoked paprika
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

1. Place pork hocks, sliced sausages, sauerkraut, prunes, peppercorns and juniper berries in a large stock pot. Add water to cover
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover
3. Simmer for 2 1/2 hrs
4. Remove pork hocks, let cool then remove and discard skin, bones and fat
5. Cut pork into chunks and return to soup
6. Add paprika, red pepper flakes if using, and tomato paste and return to a simmer for another 30 minutes