CREAM OF SAUERKRAUT SOUP

CREAM OF SAUERKRAUT SOUP image

Yield 4-6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

3 slices thick bacon ( please please use pasture raised, no additives)
1 medium onion
2 ( or more) stalks of celery with tops
16oz. jar of sauerkraut
32 oz. chicken broth or stock
1 bay leaf
32 oz half and half, or 16-24 oz full raw cream is my recommendation
sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

In stock pot, cook bacon over med/high heat until crispy. While Bacon is cooking, finely chop the onion and celery. ( you could use the food processor) When bacon is crisp, remove, drain, and crumble. Add onion and celery to the pot and saute in the bacon drippings until tender. Meanwhile, drain and rinse sauerkraut. ( I skipped this step, there wasnât much liquid and I wanted to add it to the soup) Finely chop the sauerkraut ( again you could use the processor and again I did not. I wanted more texture) When the onion and celery are tender, add the sauerkraut, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Cook on a low heat, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add half and half, or cream, and bring back up to a serving temperature. To serve, ladle into individual bowls. Top with a dollop of sour cream and some crumbled bacon. Season as desired with salt and pepper. ( I opted to not use bacon and made some meatballs out of a mix of equal amounts of ground pork and turkey thigh, mustard, pepper, 1 egg, 1/4c. brown rice crumbs. The sauerkraut I used had caraway seeds in it, so I added a tsp. of caraway seeds to the soup broth.