Kielbasa Soup with Potatoes, Cabbbage and Sauerkraut

Don't forget the spoonful of sour cream!

Not to be morbid, but, if I had the opportune chance to choose the month I would die, it would be my all-time favorite: November. It is what I call an "in-between" month, the transition from one season into another: autumn into winter. In the North, leaves have dropped. In the upper South, they are still sticking around, some with color. The common denominators are  the beautiful, low slant of the sun's rays with long, long shadows. And, on mostly-wonderful, gray, damp and sun-less days, no shadows at all. The latter are my favorite. With a bit of fog thrown in. On such days, Nature whispers. It nudges one with cello notes toward warmth: flannel and fleece ... the first fire stoked in the fireplace ... And long-simmered, earthy soups.

Enter this soup with savory sausage flavors and earthy root veggies. Smoky paprika. Caraway ... that patchouli of seedy spices. Honestly, I absolutely loved this soup. With it, I split artisan Kaiser rolls spread with a homemade, Amish butter. Need I say more?

In fact, yes, it is to die for! Enjoy.

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First, some notes: 

Do not omit the sauerkraut, even if you think you dislike it. You will not be using a lot. Be sure to squeeze out the juice and, if strong-tasting, give it a slight rinse under cold water before the squeeze.  I really like Snow Floss fresh kraut in the plastic bag. Fresh kraut is usually found with sausages in the meat department.

Second: Use a good Kielbasa. I am fortunate enough to have access to a locally-made sausage that tastes like the real deal. Boar's Head also makes a great stand-by.

Use the smallest new potatoes you can find. Mine were less that 1.5 inches. If large, simply slice into chunks. 

Caraway seed and cabbage is a perfect marriage. Don't admit.

If not using fat back, you could use a bit of bacon, or neither; instead, just use a bit of olive oil to brown/sweat the onions/sausage mixture.

I use Campbell's chicken stock and beef broth. Of course, homemade is even better.

• 1.5 - 2 lbs. smoked, artisan Kielbasa, sliced into rings and some into quarters
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced, and the rings cut into half-moons/quarters
• 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon spicy smoked paprika (do not omit)
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, slightly crushed (do not omit)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup sliced fresh carrots, preferably the kind with green tops attached
• 3/4 - 1 cup teeny-tiny baby red/yellow new potatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 +  cup fresh sauerkraut, slightly squeezed to get rid of excess juice (do not omit)
• 1 medium head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
• 1, 10-3/4 ounce can chicken stock
• 1, 10-3/4 ounce can beef broth
• 3, 10-3/4 ounce cans of water
• 3-4 slices fat-back, rinsed (optional)
• Sour cream for garnish

In a 2-3 quart stock pot (mine has an 8-inch diameter) over medium heat, add the fatback/bacon and cook until it begins to render fat. You are not cooking it to the crispy stage. Add sausage and onion. Stir for several minutes just until the sausage begins to show some brown. Add sliced garlic, paprika, caraway.  Stir until fragrant. Add carrots and potatoes. Coat with seasoning mixture. Add chicken stock, beef broth and water. Bring to a simmer. Add cabbage and sauerkraut. Mix. Add salt and pepper. Taste and re-season if necessary. Cover. Bring to a slow boil then reduce heat to just a simmer and cook for about 1 hour or more until cabbage is tender. Serve with a dark rye bread and, if desired, garnish with sour cream.

Potato-Sausage-Bean Soup with Caraway and Horseradish

By now, dear readers, you can tell the kind of weather we are having here in normally-warm, sunny North Carolina by the many soup recipes I have been posting (and here is yet another!).

We are having unusual, cool, foggy mornings. Wonderful! Damp, rainy, dark afternoons followed by cool evenings. Wonderful! To my friends, I define this forecast as "Michigan weather." They chuckle. And do not approve. Some even call it "depressing."

But ... this weather forces me to wax nostalgic for all things Midwestern. I am not depressed by my roots. Instead, I am inspired. And, in this recipe, the flavorful roots go all the way back to Russia and Lithuania ...

... In particular, the humble potato. Lately, I'm stuck on potato-based soups swimming in savory, smoky, creamy broths. These recipes are all about the out-of-doors and campfires -- without the camping. Indoor hearths with amber embers. Never mind stoves worth thousands of dollars ...

Here, I use store-bought Polish Kielbasa and seasoned butter beans. Oh, seasoned butter beans, where have you been all my life? Yes, I admit it. Sometimes I open a tin ... and eat them cold right out of the can. Am I a hobo? Perhaps. But who could not love that word: HOBO.? A poem in and of itself. And, so, I call them HOBO beans in honor of that glorious class of Americans who rode the rails in the 1930's. Think Pete Seeger ... 

I'm not sure if seasoned, butter beans are a Southern phenomenon. I hope not, for all the world deserves these little gems. Each soft bean tastes like the best ham-and-bean soup you've ever savored. If you do not have access, use cannelloni beans. But do not omit the tiny bit of caraway seed, horseradish or smoked cheddar. Feel free to sub the spinach for kale or escarole.

• 8 oz. or 1 3/4 cup "onion base" a combination of leek, shallot, yellow onion
• 8 oz. or 2.5-3 cups rough-chopped white button mushrooms
• 14-16 oz. skinned, chopped, Russet potatoes, about 2 cups
• 10-12 oz. smoked sausage, about 1 1/2 cups, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Red pepper flakes ... a pinch or two
• 1, 14.5 oz. can chicken stock, reduced salt
• 1, 14.5 oz. can beef stock, reduced salt
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup dry, white wine
• 1, 14.5 oz. can seasoned butter beans, drained
• 2-3 handfulls chopped greens, such as spinach, kale, escarole ...
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed dry thyme leaves
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon caraway seed, crushed
• 1, 5 ounce-can evaporated milk
• 1/2  cup lightly packed shredded, smoked cheddar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Refrigerated, fresh horseradish
• Sour cream
• Additional smoked sausage for garnish

In a dutch oven or soup pot, add your onion mixture and mushrooms with a bit of olive oil and sweat over medium heat just until soft. Remove from pan.

Put a bit more olive oil in the pan. Add diced sausage and fry over medium heat. When the fat begins to render, add the smoked paprika and a bit of red pepper flakes. Add the white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken and beef stocks. Bring to a simmer. Add your onion and mushroom mixture, drained seasoned butter beans, potatoes, thyme, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover and gently cook for about 15 - 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

Remove from heat. Mix in the evaporated milk and smoked cheddar. Stir until cheese melts. Taste for salt and pepper. Add the lesser amount of caraway. Stir. Taste again and re-season if necessary. Add the chopped greens. Mix through and place back on low heat until greens are wilted.

To serve, thinly slice a few pieces of sausage to arrange on top. Place a teaspoon of horseradish in the center and a dollop of sour cream. Shave a bit more cheese on top. Enjoy. 

The second day, I reheated a bowl and made a Muenster cheese-and-ham grilled sandwich. I snipped
a bit fresh chives, too.

To slice your potatoes: first, slice lengthwise in half. Slice each half lengthwise again into three strips. Then cut into chunks crosswise.