I've been craving Hungarian Sauerkraut Soup all winter.
However, it is not easy to find Hungarian sausage (kolbasz)
in Pittsburgh. I heard a while back about a place in
McKeesport, which isn't too far from me, which makes their
own sausages, including kolbasz. So, I decided to give them
a try. Before this I used to go to Cleveland to get kolbasz.
Since gas was $4 a gallon the last couple of years it had been
a while since I restocked on kolbasz from Cleveland.

So I make the trip to McKeesport. The store is Lambert's
Market, a small neighborhood meat market and grocery. They
make quite a few kinds of sausage - Polish kielbasa, Hungarian
kolbasz (fresh and smoked), and, wonder of wonders, Swedish
potato sausage, among others. I was asking the butcher what all
kinds of sausage they made and he was telling. I asked, almost
as a joke, since I was thinking "What are the odds?", if they
by any chance made Swedish potato sausage. I was stunned to
hear him say that they did, indeed, make it and had for years.

Now, when I lived in So. Cal. I used to go to a German meat
market called "Eschbach's" in Gardena. They made almost every
kind of sausage imaginable and that is where I first bought
Hungarian kolbasz for my first pot of Hungarian Sauerkraut
Soup! They also made their own sauerkraut so I bought that
as well. I also used to buy their Swedish Potato Sausage
and then I would make a Swedish mustard (it has cardamom in
it) and eat the sausage with the mustard. Yum. Sadly I just
learned that Eschbach's just closed last month. Very sad.

Anyway, I bought the Hungarian kolbasz, some Hungarian-style
paprika smoked bacon, and some of their own fresh sauerkraut
at Lambert's, as well as some of the Swedish potato sausage
for later.

Here's the recipe I've been using for about 30 years. It's
from Susan Derecskey's Hungarian Cookbook. All her recipes
are wonderful. I've made many of them. I *love* Hungarian
cooking! Sour cream, paprika, bacon, pork, sausage. The
5 basic food groups! And they're all in this soup!!!!

KORHELY LEVES
(Hungarian Sauerkraut Soup)

1 lb. sauerkraut
1/4 lb. bacon (preferable smoked slab bacon)
1 small onion, finely chopped
3/4 c. tarhonya (egg barley)
1 T. flour
1 t. Hungarian paprika
1/2 lb. smoked kolbasz (a Hungarian sausage)
1/4 c. sour cream

Cook fresh sauerkraut in its juice plus 2 cups of water for 1 hour.
Dice bacon in 1/4" pieces, and slowly fry them until they start to
render fat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until it turns translucent.
Add the tarhonya and, stirring constantly, cook it until it swells and
turns golden brown. Sprinkle with flour and paprika, and continue to
sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sauerkraut and
enough liquid to make a thick soup (~ 6 cups). Simmer for half an hour
or until the sauerkraut and tarhonya are nearly done. Slice the sausage
rather thinly (about 1/4") and add to the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes
more, then let the soup cool somewhat. Blend about 2 T. of soup into
the sour cream, then slowly stir the sour cream mixture into the soup.
Taste and add more salt if needed - the soup should be very sharp and
sour. Reheat if necessary and serve hot. (“Hungarians swear by the
restorative powers of sauerkraut soup. Korhely is, in fact, an archaic
term for drunkard.”)

Notes: I usually forego the flour. It’s really not necessary. Also, I
usually add about 1 lb. of sausage - I like my soup very hearty. If
possible try to get real tarhonya, which is a grated egg pasta. The egg
barley you find in the supermarkets is a very pale substitute. (Below
is a recipe to make your own tarhonya. It’s not hard and it’s worth
it.) And don’t use canned sauerkraut. If you don’t have a source of
fresh, at least buy the stuff in the plastic bags. If not using fresh
just add directly to soup. It is not necessary to cook it first.
Hungarian kolbasz is somewhat similar to Polish kolbassi but contains
paprika. It is worth the effort to try to obtain the real thing.
However, kolbassi will make a very good soup. It just won’t taste as
“Hungarian” as otherwise.

AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN TARHONYA

2 cups sifted flour
2 whole eggs
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix the flour, eggs, and salt together. Knead to make a stiff dough.
You may add a little water if the dough is too stiff. Grate on the
medium side of a grater. Rivilchas or tarhonya should be the size of
dried peas. Let the tarhonya dry for 1/2 hour if using right away.
Dry completely to store for future use.

So, I must say that this was the best batch of HSS I've ever made.
However, even though Lambert kolbasz was very good, it was not very
paprika-y. I was a little disappointed in that respect. I may have
to start going back to Cleveland for my kolbasz. The bacon was
excellent, as was the sauerkraut. I used Penzey's Half-Sweet Hungarian
Paprika in it as I had just purchase some from Penzey's the same day.
I used 1 heaping T. in a double recipe. It has just the right amount
of heat - sort of a hint of heat. Delicious. I ate a big bowl
accompanied by a large thick slice of Breadworks' Tuscan bread with lots
of butter, natch! I sure am looking forward to the rest of the week
and next week. I pity anyone who is not eating HSS for dinner! :-)

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Kate Connally wrote:
> I've been craving Hungarian Sauerkraut Soup all winter.
> However, it is not easy to find Hungarian sausage (kolbasz)
> in Pittsburgh. I heard a while back about a place in
> McKeesport, which isn't too far from me, which makes their
> own sausages, including kolbasz. So, I decided to give them
> a try. Before this I used to go to Cleveland to get kolbasz.
> Since gas was $4 a gallon the last couple of years it had been
> a while since I restocked on kolbasz from Cleveland.
>
> So I make the trip to McKeesport. The store is Lambert's
> Market, a small neighborhood meat market and grocery. They
> make quite a few kinds of sausage - Polish kielbasa, Hungarian
> kolbasz (fresh and smoked), and, wonder of wonders, Swedish
> potato sausage, among others. I was asking the butcher what all
> kinds of sausage they made and he was telling. I asked, almost
> as a joke, since I was thinking "What are the odds?", if they
> by any chance made Swedish potato sausage. I was stunned to
> hear him say that they did, indeed, make it and had for years.
>
> Now, when I lived in So. Cal. I used to go to a German meat
> market called "Eschbach's" in Gardena. They made almost every
> kind of sausage imaginable and that is where I first bought
> Hungarian kolbasz for my first pot of Hungarian Sauerkraut
> Soup! They also made their own sauerkraut so I bought that
> as well. I also used to buy their Swedish Potato Sausage
> and then I would make a Swedish mustard (it has cardamom in
> it) and eat the sausage with the mustard. Yum. Sadly I just
> learned that Eschbach's just closed last month. Very sad.
>
> Anyway, I bought the Hungarian kolbasz, some Hungarian-style
> paprika smoked bacon, and some of their own fresh sauerkraut
> at Lambert's, as well as some of the Swedish potato sausage
> for later.
>
> Here's the recipe I've been using for about 30 years. It's
> from Susan Derecskey's Hungarian Cookbook. All her recipes
> are wonderful. I've made many of them. I *love* Hungarian
> cooking! Sour cream, paprika, bacon, pork, sausage. The
> 5 basic food groups! And they're all in this soup!!!!
>
> KORHELY LEVES
> (Hungarian Sauerkraut Soup)
>
> 1 lb. sauerkraut
> 1/4 lb. bacon (preferable smoked slab bacon)
> 1 small onion, finely chopped
> 3/4 c. tarhonya (egg barley)
> 1 T. flour
> 1 t. Hungarian paprika
> 1/2 lb. smoked kolbasz (a Hungarian sausage)
> 1/4 c. sour cream
>
> Cook fresh sauerkraut in its juice plus 2 cups of water for 1 hour. Dice
> bacon in 1/4" pieces, and slowly fry them until they start to render
> fat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until it turns translucent. Add
> the tarhonya and, stirring constantly, cook it until it swells and turns
> golden brown. Sprinkle with flour and paprika, and continue to sauté
> for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sauerkraut and enough
> liquid to make a thick soup (~ 6 cups). Simmer for half an hour or
> until the sauerkraut and tarhonya are nearly done. Slice the sausage
> rather thinly (about 1/4") and add to the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes
> more, then let the soup cool somewhat. Blend about 2 T. of soup into
> the sour cream, then slowly stir the sour cream mixture into the soup.
> Taste and add more salt if needed - the soup should be very sharp and
> sour. Reheat if necessary and serve hot. (“Hungarians swear by the
> restorative powers of sauerkraut soup. Korhely is, in fact, an archaic
> term for drunkard.”)
>
> Notes: I usually forego the flour. It’s really not necessary. Also, I
> usually add about 1 lb. of sausage - I like my soup very hearty. If
> possible try to get real tarhonya, which is a grated egg pasta. The egg
> barley you find in the supermarkets is a very pale substitute. (Below
> is a recipe to make your own tarhonya. It’s not hard and it’s worth
> it.) And don’t use canned sauerkraut. If you don’t have a source of
> fresh, at least buy the stuff in the plastic bags. If not using fresh
> just add directly to soup. It is not necessary to cook it first.
> Hungarian kolbasz is somewhat similar to Polish kolbassi but contains
> paprika. It is worth the effort to try to obtain the real thing.
> However, kolbassi will make a very good soup. It just won’t taste as
> “Hungarian” as otherwise.
>
> AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN TARHONYA
>
> 2 cups sifted flour
> 2 whole eggs
> 1/2 tsp. salt
>
> Mix the flour, eggs, and salt together. Knead to make a stiff dough.
> You may add a little water if the dough is too stiff. Grate on the
> medium side of a grater. Rivilchas or tarhonya should be the size of
> dried peas. Let the tarhonya dry for 1/2 hour if using right away.
> Dry completely to store for future use.
>
> So, I must say that this was the best batch of HSS I've ever made.
> However, even though Lambert kolbasz was very good, it was not very
> paprika-y. I was a little disappointed in that respect. I may have
> to start going back to Cleveland for my kolbasz. The bacon was
> excellent, as was the sauerkraut. I used Penzey's Half-Sweet Hungarian
> Paprika in it as I had just purchase some from Penzey's the same day.
> I used 1 heaping T. in a double recipe. It has just the right amount
> of heat - sort of a hint of heat. Delicious. I ate a big bowl
> accompanied by a large thick slice of Breadworks' Tuscan bread with lots
> of butter, natch! I sure am looking forward to the rest of the week
> and next week. I pity anyone who is not eating HSS for dinner! :-)
>
> Kate
>
Oh! That sounds just great, Kate! Saved for... if and when I
can eat that barley.

--
Jean B.

In article >,
Kate Connally > wrote:

<snipped>
> I sure am looking forward to the rest of the week
> and next week. I pity anyone who is not eating HSS for dinner! :-)
>
> Kate

All sounds delicious! I love 'kraut and sausage together but you went
above and beyond... ;-d
--
Peace! Om

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe. -- Dalai Lama

On Mar 16, 2:38*pm, Kate Connally > wrote:
> I've been craving Hungarian Sauerkraut Soup all winter.
> However, it is not easy to find Hungarian sausage (kolbasz)
> in Pittsburgh. *I heard a while back about a place in
> McKeesport, which isn't too far from me, which makes their
> own sausages, including kolbasz. *So, I decided to give them
> a try. *Before this I used to go to Cleveland to get kolbasz.
> Since gas was $4 a gallon the last couple of years it had been
> a while since I restocked on kolbasz from Cleveland.
>
> So I make the trip to McKeesport. *The store is Lambert's
> Market, a small neighborhood meat market and grocery. *They
> make quite a few kinds of sausage - Polish kielbasa, Hungarian
> kolbasz (fresh and smoked), and, wonder of wonders, Swedish
> potato sausage, among others. *I was asking the butcher what all
> kinds of sausage they made and he was telling. *I asked, almost
> as a joke, since I was thinking "What are the odds?", if they
> by any chance made Swedish potato sausage. *I was stunned to
> hear him say that they did, indeed, make it and had for years.
>
> Now, when I lived in So. Cal. I used to go to a German meat
> market called "Eschbach's" in Gardena. *They made almost every
> kind of sausage imaginable and that is where I first bought
> Hungarian kolbasz for my first pot of Hungarian Sauerkraut
> Soup! *They also made their own sauerkraut so I bought that
> as well. *I also used to buy their Swedish Potato Sausage
> and then I would make a Swedish mustard (it has cardamom in
> it) and eat the sausage with the mustard. *Yum. *Sadly I just
> learned that Eschbach's just closed last month. *Very sad.
>
> Anyway, I bought the Hungarian kolbasz, some Hungarian-style
> paprika smoked bacon, and some of their own fresh sauerkraut
> at Lambert's, as well as some of the Swedish potato sausage
> for later.
>
> Here's the recipe I've been using for about 30 years. *It's
> from Susan Derecskey's Hungarian Cookbook. *All her recipes
> are wonderful. *I've made many of them. *I *love* Hungarian
> cooking! *Sour cream, paprika, bacon, pork, sausage. *The
> 5 basic food groups! *And they're all in this soup!!!!
>
> KORHELY LEVES
> (Hungarian Sauerkraut Soup)
>
> 1 lb. sauerkraut
> 1/4 lb. bacon (preferable smoked slab bacon)
> 1 small onion, finely chopped
> 3/4 c. tarhonya (egg barley)
> 1 T. flour
> 1 t. Hungarian paprika
> 1/2 lb. smoked kolbasz (a Hungarian sausage)
> 1/4 c. sour cream
>
> Cook fresh sauerkraut in its juice plus 2 cups of water for 1 hour.
> Dice bacon in 1/4" pieces, and slowly fry them until they start to
> render fat. *Add the chopped onion and sauté until it turns translucent.

On Mar 16, 1:38*pm, Kate Connally > wrote:
> I've been craving Hungarian Sauerkraut Soup all winter.
> However, it is not easy to find Hungarian sausage (kolbasz)

Is that the same as kielbasa? That's what we have around here - I
think kielbasa is Polish or Czech.

N.

Nancy2 wrote:
> On Mar 16, 1:38 pm, Kate Connally > wrote:
>> I've been craving Hungarian Sauerkraut Soup all winter.
>> However, it is not easy to find Hungarian sausage (kolbasz)
>
> Is that the same as kielbasa? That's what we have around here - I
> think kielbasa is Polish or Czech.
>
> N.

Hungarian kolbasz is not the same as kielbasa. It is
similar as to meats, etc., but it has paprika in it, which
kielbasa does not.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?