Pickle juice revives cabbage soup with healthful tang

Cabbage soup is a favourite dish during autumn. It's ideal for the colder weather, warming you up quickly and keeping you satisfied for hours. You don't necessarily need sauerkraut to make it; sweet cabbage will do the job, but it requires an important addition to achieve the signature tangy flavour.

What should cabbage soup be like? It should be aromatic and pleasantly sour, as this flavour defines the soup. When made with sauerkraut, ideally with its juice, achieving this is straightforward. Worried that soup made with sweet cabbage won't have the distinctive taste? Simply add a bit of pickle juice to it.

We enjoy eating pickles, but often dispose of the juice they come in. However, this juice offers significant health benefits. Primarily, this tangy liquid is an excellent source of lactic acid. The probiotic bacteria in pickle juice enhance the gut flora composition, thereby boosting immunity. Regular use of pickle juice can be advantageous in several ways: lowering lipid and sugar levels, strengthening the bacterial flora, soothing the digestive system, and alleviating digestive issues. Pickle juice also prevents dehydration and restores electrolyte balance, so drinking it is a traditional remedy for a hangover.

However, pickle juice has a unique taste, and not everyone is inclined to drink it. Yet, when used in soup, it only enhances the flavour. It can be used to improve the taste of white borscht or red borscht, but it is particularly well-suited to cabbage soup, especially if prepared with sweet cabbage. It gives the soup an intense, tangy flavour reminiscent of soup made with sauerkraut. Such soup is milder but retains noticeable tangy notes, while the cabbage remains crunchy. Remember to add the pickle juice after softening the vegetables; otherwise, they will stay hard.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ heads of white cabbage
• 450 grams of pork ribs
• 3-4 potatoes
• Vegetable bundle - one each of carrot, parsley root, celery, leek, and onion
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 250-500 ml of pickle juice
• Marjoram and caraway seeds to taste
• 2 bay leaves and allspice berries
• Salt, pepper to taste

Preparation method:

1. Shred the cabbage, salt it, and set aside to release its juice. Cover the ribs with water, add bay leaves and allspice, and cook covered for 30 minutes.
2. Add the vegetables: carrot, parsley root, celery, leek, and onion. After another 30 minutes of cooking, remove the meat and vegetables.
3. Finely chop the vegetables and return them to the pot. Separate the meat from the bones and add it to the soup. Add diced potatoes, cabbage with its juice, and spices.
4. Pour in the pickle juice and cook for another 15 minutes.
5. Prepare a roux with butter, flour, and a spoonful of broth in a pan, and add it to the soup.