the mehallo blog. beta.

‘Nasty.’ -Jeanne Mehallo

One either likes it or hates it. No compromises. It’s my favorite soup, the recipe was given to my mother when I was a kid.

It’s hearty and I’m pretty sure it’s responsible for hairy chests all over Europe. Hell, it could grow hair on an onion.

And it’s dang easy to make.

roots
Dave King was my best friend when I was in the second grade. And we share a Slovak heritage.

Tho our family recipes did differ a bit. A few generations back, my family went thru extreme poverty, so what we have written down is often missing elaborate ingredients. No paprika, seasonings nor expensive cuts of meat. It’s food made from really basic stuff, roasted and boiled until the flavor is coaxed out.

So the closest to this soup we’d enjoy was machanka – once a year, on Christmas eve. It’s a sour mushroom soup, made with a simple roux and sauerkraut juice. The actual sauerkraut would be used for other things.

The mushrooms were the major ingredient. My grandfather knew everything about picking and drying them without poisoning anyone. Tho he didn’t eat them himself.

And so having a soup with more than one meat in it. Crazy.

tasting
I first sampled kapusta polievka at Dave’s house. It was just pungent enough to wake up my taste buds. It was like a massive dose of MSG without the MSG. And I remember slurping several bowls.

So my mom had to get her hands on the recipe from his mom – and we’ve been boiling up pots of it ever since.

Luckily, nearby are some fantastic eastern European grocers. So these days, I’ve been able to whip it up using some great ingredients. Found that an excellent Polish sausage and a good hearty barley works wonders.

margie king’s holiday slovak soup (kapusta polievka)

ingredients

1/2 lb Polish sausage, Kielbasa, skinned and sliced
1 lb pork, cut into kabobs, cooked in water with foam skimmed

1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste

to make

Toss all ingredients into a large pot. Cover with water and simmer on medium for around 3 hours. Be careful that the barley doesn’t stick to the bottom, stir from time to time.

Serve with a nice crusty bread, fresh ground black pepper or a dollop of sour cream.

Variants: Try adding other root vegetables, carrots or seasonings (paprika, hot peppers, marjoram); shallots or leeks also work well. In my latest batch, I added fire roasted red peppers and extra sausage. Ham or pork ribs can also be used. Some versions add prunes.

I’ve often also made this Polish variation. Either way, what results is a hearty thick soup with a sour punch.

Tastes great in an extra large type mug, of course.

tags: cool finds, culinary, recipe // 2 comments  . . .