Sunday Soup #59: Kyselica (Traditional Czech "Sour" Soup)

Have you ever been Momming/Dadding super hard (i.e., cooking dinner, doing laundry, picking up the house, and responding to your teenager's text request for his website password, while ironing the dress shirt your other teen needs for a volunteer opportunity at a fancy event he's leaving for in less than 15 minutes because he can no longer seem to find the shirt that he assured you all week he had ready to go) and accidentally put the wrong type of potatoes in your soup, but not realize it until you are WAY too far into the recipe to correct the error? Um... no... me either... *looks around shiftily*

Some of my favorite soups I've eaten in my travels have been those I've had the privilege to try in Eastern Europe and Central Asia... I fell in love with cultural specialties from places like Poland, Moldova, Romania, Russia, and even Uzbekistan. Among my favorite soups are those that are both savory and sour, which wrap my tongue in deep, complex flavors that appeal to my wandering foodie heart (and tummy!), and can be found in abundance in those regions (if you know where to look). This week, I wanted to try my hand at a traditional Eastern European recipe and see if I could satisfy some of my ever-present culinary wanderlust.

This recipe came from: https://www.196flavors.com/czech-republic-kyselica/

*Pic 1 - https://www.196flavors.com/czech-republic-kyselica/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I made 1.5 times this recipe. I used more water than the recipe called for (more on that later). I ended up using a little less sauerkraut than it called for (because it was all I had on hand). And... *sigh* I maaaaaaaaaay have accidentally used white sweet potatoes (https://www.thekitchn.com/why-is-this-sweet-potato-not-o-70127) instead of regular white potatoes because Dadding (see above).

General Thoughts: While this soup proved relatively inexpensive to make (particularly if you have some of the specialty spices, like whole allspice berries, on hand already), the prep took a little bit of time. It was not overly burdensome, but because several of the steps need to happen concurrently, I HIGHLY recommend prepping all of your ingredients (e.g., diced potatoes, sliced onion, cubed bacon, sliced sausages, drained sauerkraut) before you begin cooking. Doing so can help avoid any potential SNAFUs, such as those of the potato-related variety.  ;-)

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

Right off the bat, I figured out that the 3/4-cup of water that the recipe prescribes for boiling the potatoes is not nearly enough; when boiled in a large pot, where it is spread thin, 3/4-cup of water evaporates pretty quickly! If you do not add some additional liquid, I think you will find - as I did - that the potatoes will affix themselves to the bottom of the pot and begin to crisp in fairly short order, even at medium heat. This soup is supposed to be on the thicker side, so don't go crazy with the liquid, but make sure you give it enough to keep the potatoes from sticking or burning.

Despite a few tense moments, as I had to provide some first aid (in the form of a little more H2O) to my potatoes, the taste of this dish was terrific (the accidental use sweet potatoes notwithstanding). The soup was thick and filling, and each bite was brimming with yummy, chunky ingredients. The caraway taste was just prevalent enough, and the combination of the tangy sauerkraut, hearty potatoes, savory kielbasa sausage, and salty bacon blended perfectly. The ingredient that really made this dish pop, in my opinion, and took me back to a cool October night in Warsaw, was the sour cream added right before serving. Not only did it give the soup its white, creamy look, but brought the perfect sour edge and Eastern European flavor I was craving!

On a final note, the recipe does not make an extremely large batch, as it is written. Between me and my son, we only had a single serving or so left over. As such, I'd suggest multiplying the recipe if you plan on making this for a crowd... Supplement with a salad and some sourdough bread, and you'll be in great shape!

Potential Improvements? As previously discussed, the soup needed a bit more moisture than the recipe called for, particularly to prevent the potatoes from scorching while they boil. I'd cut the onions a little smaller (rather than leaving them as large, albeit thin, slices). I'd prep all the ingredients before I started cooking. And, finally, I'd definitely use the correct (regular) potatoes.

Polling the Fam: I really, really liked this dish and would definitely make it again (particularly with the recommended improvements above)! Hunter said he "loved it" and was very excited that there was a bowl left over (and that I was going out of town, so he would get to eat it himself).

Verdict: Loved it! (5 stars)