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 #37: Polish Dill Pickle Soup

I am so excited...! Ever since the beginning of this project, I've had a dill pickle soup recipe (or four) saved and been dying to try it. Well, the day has come, my friends! Do you like soup? Do you like dill pickles? Have you ever thought, "I wish I could find a way to combine my love of soup and dill pickles?" Well then, this entry is for you!!

This recipe came from: http://www.kitchme.com/recipes/polish-dill-pickle-soup?invite=29ot

*Pic 1 - http://www.kitchme.com/recipes/polish-dill-pickle-soup?invite=29ot

My Variations from Recipe as Written: I added one pound (boneless, skinless) chicken breast for some protein. I put it in the pot with the ingredients in step 1, then pulled it out and roughly diced it between steps 1 and 2.

General Thoughts: Another soup with some fairly easy prep, which is always a plus. I was unsure (at first) how I was going to shred pickles, but then I decided to just (duh!) shred them using a cheese grater. I have to say, pickles (particularly when they are crisp) are much easier to shred than I thought they'd be. Other than that, peeling and slicing the potatoes was the only other real chore.

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

Despite the instant flour/milk mixture, this soup did not turn out to be as thick as I expected, which was surprising. Also, even with the four shredded pickles and the pickle brine, it did not turn out quite as "pickley" as it initially smelled. However, that wasn't really much of a problem, since individual tastes for such strong, unique flavors can vary. The garnishes (e.g., sour cream, fresh dill, and sliced pickles) added quite a bit to the soup's flavor profile, and I definitely would suggest not skimping on the pepper (Lisa!).

The chicken was a great addition and gave the soup a real boost in the heartiness department. Though, I would definitely recommend sticking to chicken stock if you are going to add chicken. It is also worth mentioning that I don't think any other type of protein (i.e., beef, pork, or fish) would have worked in this soup quite as well as the chicken did.

Overall, the soup was pretty good... I was going to say "surprisingly good," but I really didn't know what to expect going in, so it was just objectively solid.

(*NOTE: I've decided to start adding a "Potential Improvements" section - like the one below - to all future soup posts, since it seems like there is always something I think could help a recipe be better, no matter how tasty it was.)

Potential Improvements? For me (and Hunter), this soup actually lacked a little bit of the "bite" we were hoping for; the type of vinegary pickle flavor that makes dill pickles a very specific, distinct taste. But, adding a shot of apple cider vinegar to each bowl was PERFECT! I say "to each bowl," rather than to the overall pot, because that taste does not suit everyone's palate, so it is safer to garnish for each individual. Also, I think it would have been better if I'd cut the potatoes a little smaller; a large/coarse dice would have been right on. Finally, this soup would definitely have benefit from serving it with a side of bread.

Polling the Fam: I liked it, and for the ease of prep and the uniqueness of it, I'd definitely make it again, particularly with the improvements above. Becky does not normally care for an overabundance of dill pickle taste, but she liked this soup well enough, particularly with sour cream to make it a little less pickle-forward. Although she went back for seconds tonight, she said she'd eat it again but wouldn't request it to be made. Hunter also liked it, and said he'd eat it again, but he said it did not have quite enough pickle taste (so he added vinegar, as well). He also thought the pepper was really important to preventing the soup from being too bland for his tastes.

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)