You talking the Strip as in downtown Pittsburgh? If so, what is the name
of the deli?

Kate Connally wrote:
> Well, I had this stuff I bought at the new Polish deli in the
> Strip District a few weeks back. They had 4 kinds of "kielbasa" -
> the kind you usually see, another one that is the same but double
> smoked, the 3rd kind was very thin and dried, but the 4th one is
> what I bought. I was double smoked and "spicy" I was told. It
> was just about 12" long - not in the big loops that you usually
> see.
>
> I also saw something there I had never heard of before - rib
> bacon. It is bacon with ribs attached. It is smoked. So I
> bout a chunk of that to try.
>
> I decided I wanted to make some kind of soup using both of these
> meats. I searched for recipes but didn't come up with a Polish
> recipe for sausage soups except with cabbage or sauerkraut in
> them. I wanted something different. I did find a Croatian
> recipe that sounded good. I also found a Hungarian recipe that
> sounded good. And one that was not ethnically identified - just
> Sausage, Potato, and Kale soup. So I decided to make up my own
> soup using some of the ideas from these recipes.
>
> I cooked the rib bacon in some water for about 1 hours then removed
> it and chopped up the meat. I added onion and garlic to the water
> plus some chicken broth. I added one bunch of chopped kale and some
> marjoram and bay leaved and cooked the kale for about 1/2 hour.
>
> Then I added 1 large can, drained, of dark red kidney beans, 2 cans
> of Delmonte diced potatoes, and the chopped bacon, and the sausage
> which I had thinly sliced. I also added some freshly ground pepper.
> I had tasted the bacon after I cooked it and it was quite salty so
> I did not add additional salt. I cooked it for about 1/2 hour longer.
> At the end I stirred in about 1/2 pint of sour cream (well, actually
> I ladled out some of the broth and mixed it with the sour cream and
> then added it all back).
>
> It's pretty good soup. It's a little saltier than I prefer but
> not over the line. If I had had unsalted chicken broth I would have
> used that. I thought about not using any chicken broth at all but
> decided to go ahead. I also added additional water to make up the
> correct amount of liquid. My 4 qt. Dutch oven was full.
>
> Kate
>