Pickle power: Elevate your cabbage soup with a tangy twist

What should cabbage soup be like? Aromatic and pleasantly sour. This flavour characterizes the soup. When we make it with sauerkraut, preferably along with its juice, it's easy. Worried that soup made with sweet cabbage won't have the characteristic taste? All you need to do is add some pickle juice to it.

We enjoy eating pickles, but we often pour away the juice they sit in. However, this juice has strong health benefits. Above all, this tangy drink is an excellent source of lactic acid. The probiotic bacteria in pickle juice improve the gut flora composition, thereby boosting immunity. Regular use of pickle juice can have many advantages: lowering lipid and sugar levels, strengthening the bacterial flora, soothing the digestive system, and reducing digestive problems. Pickle juice also prevents dehydration and restores electrolyte balance, which is why drinking pickle juice is one of the traditional remedies for a hangover.

However, pickle juice has a specific taste and not everyone will be keen to drink it. But when used in soup, it only improves the flavour. It can be used to enhance white borscht or red borscht, but it is especially suitable for cabbage soup, especially if we're making it with sweet cabbage. Thanks to it, the soup will have an intense, tangy flavour akin to soup made with sauerkraut. Such a soup is milder but has noticeable tangy notes, while the cabbage itself remains crunchy. Just remember to add the pickle juice only after the vegetables have softened. Otherwise, they will remain hard.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ heads of white cabbage,
• 450 grams (1 lb) of pork ribs,
• 3-4 potatoes,
• vegetable bundle - one of each with a piece of celery,
• onion,
• 3 tablespoons of butter,
• 1 tablespoon of flour,
• 250-500 mL (1-2 cups) 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. Then 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. Add it to the soup.