Lithuanian Pork Spareribs And Sauerkraut Soup Recipes

Steps:

• In a large pot, place the sauerkraut, chicken stock, smoked meat, peppercorns and bay leaves. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce temperature, cover and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Meat should be tender.
• Remove meat, discard bones, dice and return to the pot. Add the shredded cabbage, tomatoes and onion. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook another hour or so.
• Add water, as necessary, to keep it soupy.
• To serve, remove the bay leaves and dish up, with hot boiled potatoes on the side.
• Note: If you prefer, substitute 1 cup shredded carrots for the tomatoes. Smoked turkey is a good substitute for the ham hocks. And there is nothing wrong with a nice hambone!
• Note2: You can drain and rinse the sauerkraut for a milder dish, but I think this is pretty mild, because of all the liquid and the fresh cabbage.
• Note3: You can reduce the amount of chicken stock if you need to - the meat will add a lot of substance to the liquid. I also have used the strained liquid left over after cooking a corned beef in the crock.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Season the ribs with salt and pepper, and arrange them in the greased baking dish.
• Roast for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven, and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Set the ribs on a plate, and drain excess grease from the baking dish. Spread the sauerkraut evenly in the bottom of the dish. Place the ribs on top with the meat side up. Tuck the potato wedges in amongst the ribs. Cover tightly with heavy aluminum foil.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Carefully remove the foil to avoid hot steam, and serve.

Steps:

• Brown the beef, spareribs and loin chops in a large heavy pot. Put the browned meats and the smoked pork butt with 1 cup of water into a separate, covered pan and simmer until tender, removing the pork chops after about 30 minutes, the butt after 1 hour, the beef after 1 1/2 to 2 hours and the spareribs after 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, pour off all the fat from the first pot and put in the sauerkraut and one cup of water. Stir in the chopped cabbage. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove lid and keep pot on a very low simmer.
• In a third pan, fry bacon until crisp, then crumble into sauerkraut mixture. Remove most of the bacon fat and fry onions and flour until they just brown. Mix into sauerkraut mixture.
• As you remove the meats from the second pan, cut away fat and bone and cut the meat into small pieces. Add to sauerkraut mixture.
• Skim the fat off the meat juices and add to sauerkraut mixture. Take off skin from kielbasa and cut into slices. Add to sauerkraut mixture with the tomatoes. Salt, pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes and serve hot.