Oh my. Does this Czechoslovakian Soup recipe bring back memories. I love when a smell jolts you back a few decades to the happy and carefree time of being 10, when the only worries in the world were Friday spelling tests and who to play with at recess. I’d get off the bus, run home, and be oh so happy when this smell (and my sisters) greeted me at the door. It’s unlike any other.
What can I say? Even at 10 I. liked. to. eat. Give me the beef bones, the short ribs, the softened carrots, the perfectly browned dumplings on the side. I wanted it all.
This passed down recipe came from one of my mom’s friends, and it’s as authentic as they come. The coolest part of this recipe, at least to me, is using all the beef bones. I love all that stuff – the meatier and bonier, the better. You throw them all in a big tray with some spices and veggies and roast away until softened and tender. After that all that flavor is scraped along with the other ingredients to simmer away the day in a big pot. As far as rich and flavorful soups go, aside from the roasting and the simmering there isn’t all that much to this one. It comes together beautifully and will last all week.
That is, if you don’t eat it all right away.
- 2 lbs beef bones
- 2 lbs short ribs
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 8 cups water
- 1 head cabbage, chopped
- 1 lbs canned tomatoes, diced
- 2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp tabasco
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
- 3 TBS lemon juice
- 2 TBS sugar
- 1 1lbs can sauerkraut
- Place beef bones, onion, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf in roasting pan. Top with short ribs. Sprinkle with thyme and paprika and roast uncovered at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Transfer meat and vegetables into a large pot, scarping the browned meat bits from bottom.
- Add water, cabbage, tomatoes, salt and tabasco and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer 1 1/2 hours.
- Skim off the fat from the surface.
- Add parsley, lemon juice, sugar, and sauerkraut. Cook uncovered another hour.
- Remove beef bones and short ribs from pot. Once cooled, remove meat and return to the pot. Discard the bones.
- Simmer low until dinner, adjusting the seasonings as needed.