Kapusniak — Sauerkraut Soup with Smoked Pork Ribs, Carrots & Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 lb Smoked Pork Ribs
• 2 cups sauerkraut, drained and rinsed once
• 2 Carrots, sliced
• 3 Potatoes, cubed
• 1 onion, diced
• ½ cup millet or pearl barley
• 8 cups water or broth
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 black peppercorns, crushed
• Sour cream and dill, for serving

Method

1. Cover the Smoked Pork Ribs with the water in a large pot, bring to a bare simmer, and skim the gray foam off the top for the first few minutes. Add the bay and peppercorns and cook 30 minutes.
2. Fry the onion and Carrots in the oil over medium heat until the edges take color, 7 minutes. Add the sauerkraut and cook 5 minutes more so it loses its raw bite.
3. Add the sauerkraut mixture, the Potatoes, and the millet to the pot. Simmer 20–25 minutes, until the grain is soft and the broth is cloudy and sour.
4. Taste and steer it: a pinch of sugar if the kraut is aggressive, more salt if it is shy. Fish out the bay leaves.
5. Ladle into bowls with a spoonful of sour cream and a snow of dill. It thickens overnight into something even better.