Lithuanian Cabbage Soup (kopustu Sriuba)

Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 lb sauerkraut
• 5 cups chicken stock, low-sodium recommended
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 lbs smoked ham hocks
• 5 peppercorns
• 2 whole bay leaves
• 2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 medium head of cabbage, shredded

Recipe

• 1 in a large pot, place the sauerkraut, chicken stock, smoked meat, peppercorns and bay leaves. add water to cover. bring to a boil, reduce temperature, cover and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. meat should be tender.
• 2 remove meat, discard bones, dice and return to the pot. add the shredded cabbage, tomatoes and onion. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook another hour or so.
• 3 add water, as necessary, to keep it soupy.
• 4 to serve, remove the bay leaves and dish up, with hot boiled potatoes on the side.
• 5 note: if you prefer, substitute 1 cup shredded carrots for the tomatoes. smoked turkey is a good substitute for the ham hocks. and there is nothing wrong with a nice hambone!
• 6 note2: you can drain and rinse the sauerkraut for a milder dish, but i think this is pretty mild, because of all the liquid and the fresh cabbage.
• 7 note3: you can reduce the amount of chicken stock if you need to - the meat will add a lot of substance to the liquid. i also have used the strained liquid left over after cooking a corned beef in the crock.