Ukrainian Sauerkraut and Millet Soup, AKA Ukrainian Kapustnyak

Name: Ukrainian Sauerkraut and Millet Soup, AKA Ukrainian Kapustnyak
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Signature Cuisine,Ukrainian
Ingredients: Beef stock: 2 l of; Boiled beef: 300 g of; Sauerkraut: 400 g of; Potatoes: 2; Onion: 2; Carrot: 2; Celery root: 50 g of; Parsley root: 50 g of; Parsnip: 50 g of; Millet: 100 g of; Tomato paste: 2 tbsp. of; Extra Virgin olive oil: 4 tbsp. of; Black pepper whole: 5 peppercorns of; Pimento: 2 peppercorns of; Bay leaf: 1; Clove: 1 whole; Salt: to taste; Parsley leaves: 3 tbsp. of; Dill: 2 tbsp. of

Features:

Cuisine:

30 min
Serves 10
Medium

Ingredients

Meat:
2 l of Beef stock
300 g of Boiled beef
Or, pork
Vegetables and grits:
400 g of Sauerkraut
2 Potatoes
Medium potatoes
2 Onion
Medium onions
2 Carrot
Medium carrots
50 g of Celery root
Optionally
50 g of Parsley root
Optionally
50 g of Parsnip
Optionally
100 g of Millet
Or more
2 tbsp. of Tomato paste
4 tbsp. of Extra Virgin olive oil
Greens and Spices:
5 peppercorns of Black pepper whole
2 peppercorns of Pimento
1 Bay leaf
1 whole Clove
to taste Salt
3 tbsp. of Parsley leaves
2 tbsp. of Dill

Directions

This dish has a certain romantic appeal to me. First, it takes me back to my childhood. My best friend’s mom would often make it and leave it on the stove for us to have after school. Second, later I read or heard somewhere that this dish used to be cooked in an oven.I somehow really liked this moment, as I always imagined how fragrant it must be if it stewed for a long time in a wood-burning oven.

Let’s go back to reality and make a delicious Sauerkraut soup. We will cook it in a slow cooker, which creates a close to oven effect. You can also bake it in the oven at home to recreate the romance or simmer it over low heat on the stove.

Generally, sauerkraut for soup needs to be really sour. I sour cabbage myself, but I like it mildly sour and never leave it at room temperature for very long. So for the Sauerkraut soup, I buy sauerkraut in Vienna in the supermarket. That’s where the sourness is:) that’s what you need! Or you can ferment homemade cabbage longer.

The grits can be used, in fact, any kind. Most often, it is millet. This recipe doesn’t have a lot of millet, but you can put more if you want a more grainy soup.

The broth needs a rich one, so I use beef bone broth (collagen never hurts) to boil the meat until tender. Or you can make meat and bone broth from scratch.

Potatoes and meat are put into the soup already pre-boiled.

It’s a very warming, bright and delicious soup!

Bon Appetit!

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Steps

1 Done	Pre-boil the potatoes in their jackets, peel them and slice them into medium slices. The meat should also be boiled. Slice it also in medium sized pieces.
2 Done	Dice onions into small cubes and cut carrots into thin half rings. If you use other root vegetables, dice them finely. Chop greens finely. You can use the sauerkraut as is or chop it coarsely if it is too long.
3 Done	Sauté onions, carrots and other root vegetables in olive oil until they are done and have a golden color. In Ukrainian cuisine, vegetables are actually sautéed quite well until somewhat browned. That's what gives a distinct flavor and aroma to the dishes.
4 Done	When the sauteed vegetables are done, add the tomato paste and saute together, constantly stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes.
5 Done	COOKING IN A SLOW COOKER Put the sauteed vegetables, all the spices, sauerkraut and pre-washed millet into the slow cooker. Add broth and mix everything well. Cook all together for 4 hours on low mode. Add boiled meat and potatoes 30 minutes before the dish is done. About 5 minutes before it is done, add the greens. Bon Appétit! The Sauerkraut soup tastes better the next day!
6 Done	COOKING ON THE STOVE Put the sauteed vegetables, all the spices, sauerkraut and pre-washed millet into the pot. Add broth and mix everything well. Cook all together for 1 to 1.5 hours at a low boil under a lid. Add boiled meat and potatoes 30 minutes before the dish is done. About 5 minutes before it is done, add the greens. Bon Appétit! The Sauerkraut soup tastes better the next day!