Sabina Nowak’s Kapusta Soup Recipe
(As told to her son, Chicago Progressive Talk’s Mike Nowak)

Okay, pay close attention. I’m not a cook, so I might have gotten some of this wrong.
My advice? Improvise whenever necessary.

- 1 quart sour kraut (jar or package)
- Drain and SAVE JUICE. Rinse cabbage in hot water three times, squeezing out thoroughly after each rinse.)
- Place in cooking pot, adding 10 cups of water (may vary according to desired soup thickness)
- Add 1 large, sliced onion, or 2 medium ones (Mom says the onion adds to the flavor, though tastes are individual. I say trust Mom.)
- Bring to a boil and cook about 20 minutes.
- While mixture is cooking, boil dried mushrooms in about 1 cup of water. (Mom says you can pre-soak the mushrooms. She also says that Polish mushrooms are the best. Go figure.) After 15 to 20 minutes, cut mushrooms into smaller pieces, strain the mushrooms and SAVE THE JUICE (there seems to be a pattern here).
- Add mushrooms and mushroom juice to sour kraut mixture (so THIS is why we saved the juice. Brilliant!)
- Add 1 package of Lipton’s Onion Mushroom Soup (Mom says this adds a lot of flavor) Cook for about 15 minutes.
- Pour ½ cup of Mazola cooking oil into a frying pan. Sautee ¾ cup of minced onion in the oil until the onion is quite soft.
- Add a heaping tablespoon of flour. Stir into sautee until mix is thickened and slightly browned. Use your judgment as to whether more oil or flour may be needed (I told you there was some improvisation in this recipe!)
- Add sautee mixture to soup and stir well. Bring to a boil and cook 5 to 10 minutes. Add as much sour kraut juice or salt or both as you need to adjust the “tang” level.
- According to Mom, refrigerating the soup overnight seems to add flavor. Trust Mom.
- Reheat soup when ready to serve.
- SMACZNEGO!!! (I think that means “Try not to slurp” in Polish. Okay, it really means “bon appétit,” which ain’t English, either. )