Sunday Soup #103: Polish Dill Pickle Soup with Smoked Ham

Hello, Souper Troopers...! You thought I'd forgotten about you, didn't you?! I haven't made a soup since mid-March, but I could never forget about you (or soup)!! I have just been a bit distracted and out of sorts with this whole pesky pandemic thing, like many of you, I'm sure. At any rate, I'm happy to be back with another yummy recipe selected from the wide and wooly Internet...

Pickles. Yep, pickles... I know, some of you think it's weird, but I love them so much, so I am always intrigued by pickle soups. I have made a couple in the past (search the blog for "pickle" to find them), and they have been pretty good, in my opinion. So, how would this one fare? We decided to have a (very small) COVID-friendly distanced outdoor friend-meal to find out...

This recipe came from: https://www.saltandlavender.com/polish-dill-pickle-soup-smoked-ham/

*Pic 1 - https://www.saltandlavender.com/polish-dill-pickle-soup-smoked-ham/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I doubled the recipe and used dried dill instead of fresh, but that's it!

General Thoughts: The prep work on this one was fairly easy, and the ingredients were relatively inexpensive. Chopping onions is (as always) not my favorite, so my wife helped by doing that dice for me; however, the option is always there to buy pre-diced from the market. Beyond the onions, a little dicing on the pickles and potatoes, with some rough cubing on the ham, and it was good-to-go! All in all, from prep-to-pot, it only took about 15 minutes and didn't feel too bad at all.

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

The best thing about this soup, bar none, was its chunkiness; all of its different textures were a treat! Every single bite was heaped with ham, potato, pickle, and onion, with the shredded carrot adding some good color. All of the veggies were wonderfully done and the ham was juicy and tender.

Once I was done admiring the mix of perfectly cooked ingredients, I had a chance to appreciate the flavors. TL;DR = It was good! It was especially great because I could taste and appreciate all of the different individual flavors... The ham was salty and smoky, the onions and carrots were piquant, the dill (despite being dried) was present and savory, the sour cream added a delightful creaminess, and (of course) the pickles were salty and tangy. And, when I cracked some black pepper over my bowl, the flavors came to life even more... It was a symphony, and I enjoyed it!

And, it bears repeating, even though I've said it before: If you make this, use a refrigerated pickle in a "clean" brine! I use Grillos (https://www.grillospickles.com/), which can be found at lots of grocery stores (and Costco). Please do not use an artificially green, preservative-packed jar of pickles... They might be okay for a backyard BBQ burger, but they will not be okay for a dill pickle soup that you are hoping to enjoy! :-) If you couldn't see yourself being able to take even a tiny nip of the straight brine, you probably don't want it in your soup.

Potential Improvements? Next time I think I'd add a little more meat, like an extra 1/2 pound of ham (for a single batch) or even some crispy bacon.

Polling the Fam: I loved this one and, if it was just me, I'd be giving it 5 stars right now; it's right there with the previous 5-star Dill Pickle & Brat soup (https://soupersleuth.blogspot.com/2020/01/sunday-soup-98-dill-pickle-and-brat-soup.html). Buuuuuut, there were more diners, and their opinions were a little more mixed (because I suspect they are pickle-intolerant)... First, the good: I loved it; Hunter really liked it and seconded the cracked pepper recommendation; and Lisa liked it but suggested more meat and garnishes (like cheddar cheese and crispy bacon crumbles). And now, the misguided pickle-haters: Andrew said he'd give it 3 stars, and liked it overall, but that he would probably never request it; Jayson managed to get through a whole bowl (against his expectations) but didn't go back for more; and Becky and Fox each took one bite and said, "Nope!"

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)

Sunday Soup #72: Kapuśniak (Polish Sauerkraut Soup)

Marching Band Season, baby! Whew... Having teenaged kids is a full time job. :-) But, while Soup Sundays are a little more sporadic during this time of year, Fall and Winter soups are among my favorite, as the cooler weather practically begs me to cook! Last week, my wife made a simple, delicious family favorite: ham hock and pinto bean recipe (which is very soup-like; let me know if you want the recipe). And then, the week before, I made a repeat soup that we love. So we have been cooking, but it is always nice to get back onto something new.

I have an affinity for Eastern European soups, and I am always on the lookout for new possibilities... This week, a Polish sauerkraut soup caught my eye, so I decided to whip it up and share it with you, lucky Reader! Let's check it out!!

This recipe came from: http://cookingtheglobe.com/polish-sauerkraut-soup-with-sausage-kapusniak/

*Pic 1 - http://cookingtheglobe.com/polish-sauerkraut-soup-with-sausage-kapusniak/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I made 1.5x the recipe. I added 15% more sausage and 25% more bacon than called for (because we like our soups meaty!). That's it!!

General Thoughts: This one was a medium prep soup. If you wanted to buy pre-diced onion and carrots, it would save you some time, but not a ton. In addition, chopping and slicing the bacon, sausage, and potatoes can be a little time consuming, but with a glass of wine and some music, it passes quickly. :-) One thing to note, the recipe does a poor job of making it clear up front that the sausage, bacon, tomato paste, caraway, and sauerkraut all start out being cooked separately from the onion, carrots, potatoes, and broth, and are added to the soup pot only after the potatoes are mostly done.

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

Almost immediately, the soup started smelling great... I had high hopes that it would taste just as yummy, and it definitely delivered. Every bite was pure heaven: meaty and savory, tangy and well-spiced, hearty and warming! Of particular note was the perfect ratio of the caraway and thyme... Both of those flavors can be overwhelming, if you overdo it, but this recipe totally nailed the right balance.

Particularly because my wife was going to be eating this soup, I was a bit worried about how strong of a sauerkraut flavor it would retain... She is not a sauerkraut fan, so if that taste pushed its way to the forefront, she would probably be turned off by it. However, when you cook sauerkraut low-and-slow, or at a simmer for a while (like in this recipe), it mellows out a lot. In this case, the soup retained the perfect amount of "sauer" and tang without being overpowering, and each bite was better than the last.

Potential Improvements? I wouldn't do anything different with this recipe at all, except make sure to include the little bit of extra meat (as I did this time).

Polling the Fam: I loved this one, and it is one of my new faves! Becky said it was good and liked it, making specific mention of the yummy potatoes. Hunter echoed Becky's thoughts almost exactly and said he really enjoyed it. Fox, our Picky Pete, also said it was good and that he liked it, but did not provide any additional commentary.

Verdict: Loved it! (5 stars)

Sunday Soup #70: Black Garlic and Lentil Soup

When I was down visiting my sister in San Diego, she gave me some black garlic to bring home with me. If you've never used black garlic (or, maybe, never even heard of it), it is a really neat ingredient that is common in Asian cooking but has begun to be used more and more in high-end cuisine worldwide. It gets its black color and soft texture from being "aged" (you can actually make your own at home), resulting in a garlic that is more "sweet and syrupy" in taste than the original.

So, being that I had a gourmet ingredient ready to roll, I figured I'd make a gourmet soup this weekend! I found this recipe, which was originally served at the (now-closed) Bar Tartine restaurant in nearby San Francisco, and was inspired by the chef's Hungarian father. You know I like "interesting," so this one looked right up my alley... But how did it turn out?

This recipe came from: https://www.sunset.com/recipe/black-garlic-lentil-soup

*Pic 1 - https://www.sunset.com/recipe/black-garlic-lentil-soup

Variations from Recipe as Written: I used olive oil rather than lard or grapeseed oil to sauté the veggies. And, I used 16oz of mushrooms instead of just 12oz (because package size). But, other than that, I stuck to the recipe as written.

General Thoughts: Just looking at the ingredient list, you can see that this one is certainly not the easiest prep you'll ever do for a soup. The cooking was pretty straightforward, but there was a fair bit of chopping, dicing, and slicing, not to mention the number of specialized ingredients required (such as the black garlic, Hungarian paprika, black lentils, and dry-cured paprika sausage). It really didn't feel too bad overall, but it did take a little bit of time.

Another thing to note, unless you are making for a crowd (6+), there is no need to multiply this recipe. As written, this recipe made A LOT, and the result was super hearty and filling. So, don't go crazy...

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

This recipe can be summed up in three words: spicy, spicy, spicy! :-) I expected some spice, based on the ingredient list (including a serrano chile, dried chiles de arbol, a spicy sausage, and hot Hungarian paprika), but the soup wound up too spicy for Fox and Becky to eat it. You know I am a fire eater, and it had the PERFECT level of spice for me, so that should tell you what you need to know: if making this one for general consumption, you need to do some swapping or decrease some of the amounts of the spicier ingredients.

Beyond the spice, however, the flavor was amazingly good! It was deep and rich, very complex and interesting. I could definitely taste the black garlic, which was great, and the paprika danced on the tongue. Eat bite of sausage was also a treat, but there wasn't nearly enough of it. This soup was packed with veggies, which were (mostly) yummy, and the lentils were a terrific starchy filler. However, it is worth mentioning that even though I soaked the lentils beforehand, they turned out a little underdone when I stuck to the cooking times in the recipe, so make sure they get cooked through before pulling this soup off the heat.

Finally, a quick note about the sour cream as a garnish... Not only did it serve to effectively soften the spice, but it also helped give this soup a more authentic Eastern European flavor! 

Potential Improvements? As much as it kills me to say it, next time I'll probably do things like seed the serrano, use just 1 tbsp of hot Hungarian paprika, etc. to make the final product more palatable to the masses (my best friend Jayson would not have survived this one!). I would (of course) cook it a bit longer to ensure the lentils were fully soft. I would use more sausage, maybe even up to doubling what is called for by the recipe. And, I think next time I'll leave the tomatoes out all together, and maybe cut the roasted red peppers by half; they made for a weird texture thing for me.

Polling the Fam: I thought this one was really tasty... Super interesting and a bonanza of flavor, so I'd definitely make it again with my above improvements. The only other person in my house that could take the spice was Hunter, who said it was "pretty spicy" and would have been harder for him to eat without the sour cream and a good piece of bread. But, in the end, he said it was "good" and packaged up leftovers for later in the week.

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)

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)