Polish Sauerkraut Soup Recipe: Kapuśniak

Kapuśniak is a soup made in Polish home cooking. This recipe uses readily available ingredients, with clear proportions and steps to help you plan the preparation.

Ingredients

500 g sauerkraut
400 g pork ribs
3 potatoes
1 carrot
1 onion
2 litres water
2 bay leaves
3 allspice berries
1 teaspoon marjoram
Salt and pepper

Step-by-step method

Cover the ribs with water and add the bay leaves and allspice. Simmer gently for about 45 minutes, skimming off any foam.
Add the chopped carrot, onion and potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender.
Chop the sauerkraut and cook it separately in a little water for about 25 minutes.
Add the sauerkraut to the broth and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the meat from the bones and return it to the pot.
Season with marjoram, pepper and salt if needed. Let the soup stand for a few minutes before serving.

Time and servings

About 1 hour 30 minutes. Serves 6.

Tips and variations

Cook the potatoes until tender before adding the sour sauerkraut.
Adjust the sourness with the amount of sauerkraut juice you add.
For a meat-free version, use vegetable stock and add dried mushrooms.

Making the rib broth

Put the ribs in a pot and cover with cold water. Add the bay leaves and allspice, then slowly bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Skim off the foam with a spoon, especially at the start. The meat should become tender enough to separate from the bones after cooking.

Cooking time depends on the size of the pieces. If the ribs are still tough after the stated time, cook them longer before adding the vegetables. This prevents the potatoes from falling apart before the meat is ready. Once removed from the pot, let the ribs cool slightly, then discard the bones and cut the meat into manageable pieces.

Sauerkraut and potatoes

Taste the sauerkraut before cooking. If it is very sour, squeeze out some juice and save it for the final seasoning. Rinsing also makes the flavour milder, but removes some of its character, so it is not essential. Chop any long strands to make the soup easier to eat with a spoon.

Cook the sauerkraut separately in a little water. Meanwhile, cut the peeled potatoes and carrot into similar-sized pieces and chop the onion more finely. Add them to the broth and test the potatoes with a fork. Only combine them with the sauerkraut once they are tender. Potatoes can stay hard for a long time in sour liquid, so the order matters.

Add the sauerkraut cooking water gradually. Taste the soup after mixing and decide whether to add more of it or some reserved juice. If the soup is too sour, add a little water and bring it back to a boil. Add salt at the end, as the sauerkraut may already be salty.

Seasoning and serving

Rub the marjoram between your hands before adding it to release its aroma. Add pepper gradually and taste after a short simmer. Before serving, remove the bay leaves and allspice berries if you can find them easily. Stir the pot so each bowl gets sauerkraut, vegetables and pieces of meat.

Kapuśniak is good with a slice of bread. For a thinner soup, add a little water; you can also adjust the thickness by serving more or less sauerkraut in each bowl. For a meat-free version, use vegetable stock and add dried mushrooms that have been soaked and cooked for a deeper flavour.

Storage and reheating

Cool any leftover soup, transfer it to a closed container and refrigerate. Reheat the portion you need, stirring until evenly hot. Kapuśniak may seem thicker after chilling, so add a little water if needed and check the seasoning again.

You can also freeze the soup in portions. Leave room in the container for expansion, then thaw in the fridge and heat thoroughly before serving. Potatoes may change texture after freezing, so if you are cooking specifically to freeze ahead, you can add freshly cooked potatoes after reheating instead.