Sauerkraut Soup

Do you remember the dust-up over French freedom fries a few years back? I was amazed to learn that a similar thing happened during WWI when the manufacturers of sauerkraut renamed their product liberty cabbage. I first had sauerkraut just after I was married. Our apartment was in an old building whose walls had absorbed aromas from the kitchens of tenants, past and present. On any given night the brisket in apartment 2D fought with the curry in 2F while the unmistakable smell of sauerkraut wafted down the stairs from 3A. It was like a street market. As you walked through the hall you could hear snippets of conversation or the clatter of dishes as the tables were being set and if your olfactory senses were the least bit keen you could tell what everyone was having for supper. I must admit I found my first taste of sauerkraut off-putting. Mama S made it her mission to correct that and while I'll never rise from my death bed to cry "Choucroute" I came to like it well enough. The secret is, of course, to rinse and soak it in several changes of cold water before using. Mama's sauerkraut was more French than German and years later I'd realize what she had taught me to make was actually a choucroute garni. Tender mercies! When I heard about the weather folks on the east coast and plains areas are having, I knew it was time to roll out my sauerkraut soup. The soup has an inverse relationship to the weather - the colder it gets the better the soup tastes. The photograph looks gentile, but the soup is true, hearty peasant fare. Add a salad and some bread and it's a meal in itself.

Sauerkraut Soup

Ingredients:
1 (32-oz.) jar sauerkraut
1 large baking potato, peeled and grated
6 slices thick cut bacon, diced
1 pound smoked sausage, diced
1 large (about 12-oz.) onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon Hungarian hot paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (12-oz.) bottle non-alcoholic amber beer (i.e. O'Doul's)
8 cups beef stock
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Drain and rinse sauerkraut. Place in a large bowl; cover with cold water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain. Set aside. Place grated potato in a small bowl. Cover with cold water. Drain just before using.
2) Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and saute until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper toweling. Add sausage and saute until lightly brown. Remove from pan and drain on paper toweling. Add onions to pan and saute until limp and transparent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return bacon and sausage to pan. Add grated carrots, fennel and caraway seeds, paprika and tomato paste. Add beer, scraping bottom of pan to release fond.
3) Place sauerkraut in a large soup pot. Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; add drained potato and contents of skillet. Simmer for 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield: 8 servings.