Pork Spare-Rib Soup with Sauerkraut and Vegetables (Kapusta) in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

When one thinks of spare ribs, pork or beef, one ordinarily thinks of barbecue with the meat slathered in rubs and tangy, peppery tomato-based sauces. I do not.  My heritage hails from Eastern Europe and Russia where pork ribs would be slowed cooked with onions, sauerkraut, and potatoes until the meat was unctuous and fall-off-the-bone.

I can still see my grandmother on Sunday family gatherings opening her oven door to inspect two slabs or pork ribs tied with string, one on top of the other and filled with sauerkraut and onions and then served with a side of mashed potatoes and that delicious gravy it rendered. Food is always best served with a large side or two of good memories!

Last winter, pork ribs were on sale, so I grabbed a slab intent to make a soup of which I had no recipe. My goal was to try to duplicate a wonderful tomato-based pork soup I enjoyed in a small Michigan town. After some googling, I really did not find any. They are rare. But, lo and behold, I found many pork and sauerkraut recipes. In Poland, it is called Kapusniak. In Lithuania, it called Kapusta.

I spent a good week pouring over different recipes taking note after note. Below is the recipe I created. It capitalizes on the most common of ingredients to be "authentic." And then the not so common ingredients, such as fennel, caraway and allspice berries. I have also suited it to more American tastes, hence it does not use straight sauerkraut. Instead, the sauerkraut is rinsed and squeezed so it is not so acidic or briny. I know many people only use fresh sauerkraut, not canned; actually, it should be the opposite. Fresh is laden with preservatives to keep it "fresh" in its plastic bag. My choice is Libby's or Eden's.

My associate at work, who is skeptical about sauerkraut, deemed it lick-the-bowl delicious.

I made this in my small, 12-cup Instant Pot pressure cooker. If you do not have a pressure cooker, just simmer on the stove, covered, for a good two hours or so. In the pressure cooker, it is done in 30 minutes!

Many recipes also use Kielbasa, but I only recommend that if you have access to authentic smoked Kielbasa that is not sold in sealed plastic. Some use mushrooms, fresh or dried, but I find mushrooms in the pressure cooker come out rubbery. If you do use mushrooms, cut them in large chunks.

At any rate, do not omit the spices--and that includes the dill! Sour cream could be an option---but when is the opportunity of sour cream ever an option!

And do garnish with the bones! If you have children, they will love the novelty.

• 2 lbs. pork spare ribs
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 cups diced potatoes (I used baby golden, some left whole, others cut in half)
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 small head of cabbage, shredded (optional)
• 3/4 to 1 cup fresh sauerkraut after it has been rinsed and squeezed dry
• 1, 10.5 ounce can beef broth
• 1, 10.5 can chicken stock
• 2, 10.5 cans water or more to just cover meat
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, lightly crushed
• 2-3 whole allspice berries, lightly crushed
• Dried dill
• Sour cream 

Rinse the spare ribs. Pat dry. Using a sharp paring knife, make a slit under the silver skin on the backside of ribs. Grab and rip it off. Cut ribs into 2-rib sections. Set aside.

Place onion, carrots, potatoes, celery, garlic, cabbage (if using) and sauerkraut in bottom of Instant Pot. Throw in caraway, fennel and all spice. Mix. Salt and pepper to taste.  

Arrange pork ribs on top of vegetable mixture. Salt and pepper to taste.

Slowly add beef broth and chicken stock against the side of the pot. Pour in water, about two cans or so, just until it comes up to the pork or the 10-cup mark. 

Cover. Make sure the vent is on "seal." Press "soup" button. Increase time to 30 minutes. Allow to rest 30-40 minutes before "venting" and removing the cover. The pressure button is usually down by then.

Pork and Shrimp Soup with Sweet Potatoes, White Beans and Spinach

We know chicken soup (by the gallons) and even beef soups. But pork? Why not? I had my first pork soup at as small restaurant in Michigan where I had my art studio. I was hooked. It was a very simple, clear stock with bits of pork and flavored with marjoram and tomatoes.

Most soups, like a good face, begin with bone structure! For this recipe you will need pork bones, and I don't mean a ham bone or ham hocks. When I can find them, I always buy an extra pack to freeze for later use.

The shrimp adds depth to this soup. Look for it on sale at the seafood counter. For this recipe, it was only 4.99 a pound and all I needed was about 1/2 lb.

(NOTE: I'm always somewhat remiss to give exact measurements when it comes to soup construction. It's important to taste, taste, taste when it comes to soups.)

PORK SOUP

Prepare the stock--can be made one day ahead. You will want at least six cups of pork stock.

• 1.75- 2.00 pounds pork bones, well rinsed
• 1 medium onion, roughly cut
• 2 smashed cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon blackpeppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme flakes
• a few leaves of fresh sage (optional)

Pork bones will often have a lot of bone chips left over from cutting up, so be sure to rinse them well several times under cold water.

Place in a large pot together with the onion, garlic, pepper and salt, thyme, and sage. Fill with cold water to cover, at least six cups. Bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 2-4 hours, skimming off any foam that floats to the top.

Strain into a large bowl removing bones etc. and discard. De-fat the stock if necessary.

Make the Soup:

• 2 cups canned chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups cut up pork meat
• 1 med-large onion, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 medium tomatoes, skinned and squeezed of seeds, roughly cut
• 1, 16 oz. cannelini beans, rinse and drained (I use Progresso)
• 4 cups fresh spinach, trimmed and roughly cut
• 1/2- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram flakes
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Peel the sweet potatoes until you reach the golden interior. Slice into 3/4-inch rounds and slice each round into fourths. You want a thick dice so the potato doesn't disappear to mush.

For the pork meat: use meat that has some fat in it, this is usually a cheaper cut with more flavor. I've used country-style pork ribs and pork butt and pork sirloin.

You could sub kale for the spinach, just be sure to cook it longer.

Drizzle some light olive oil in your soup pot over med-high heat. When hot, add the chopped onion and pork. Cook until onion is opaque and meat loses it pinkness. Add chopped garlic and marjoram. Stir just to heat through and until fragrant.

Measure your pork stock and add enough chicken broth to make 8 cups. Add to onion mixture. Stir. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on low heat for 30-60 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper at this stage.

Now add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes and beans. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or so or until potatoes are softened. Add spinach and stir. Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Begin sprinkling with the smoked paprika, tasting as you go, until you're satisfied with the taste.

At this stage, you can stop and your soup will be ready. OR

Add 1/2 cup cut up fresh shrimp just before you add the spinach and allow to simmer until shrimp turn pink. Then add your spinach.

Taste and season as necessary.

_{copyright 2010, Gary T. Czerwinski}