Thursday, January 29, 2009

Sauerkraut Soup & The Bitter Taste of Defeat

"Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily."

Well, the results are in, and the people have spoken, the bastards.

Your fearless leader suffered a good old fashioned butt-whoopin'. After a week long polling, Crabby failed to capture the title of Best New Food Blog over at the Well-Fed Network. I made a run late in the polls but it wasn't enough. What part of "vote early" was difficult to understand?

"Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan."

No, no, I'm not going to be bitter. I'm not going to dwell on the rather indifferent response from Crab Nation. I refuse to wallow in a pool of recrimination, spewing invective at my so called support. I will congratulate the victor and wish them "Bonne Chance", reminding them that leading is so much more difficult than winning.

"It's better to have the skunk inside the tent peeing out than outside peeing in."

I feel so, so...Republican.

I tried to think of a recipe to go with the results, something that matched the mood of the country and your vanquished leader. It is a time to reflect, to lick our wounds and to begin the process of healing, of course that means soup. What better soup than one from my youth. A potent and bittersweet concoction from the Boonsta. Many of you will turn your noses up at this recipe, you will be making a mistake. So, even though we are angry, maudlin and morose, please try and enjoy...


Boonsta's Sauerkraut Soup

By Crabby's Mom

1 can (28 oz.) Sauerkraut
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 can (14 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth
2 cans (14 oz. each) vegetable broth
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 pound "country style" spare ribs
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
Salt to taste

Put all the ingredients in a large, heavy-duty soup pot over medium heat. As the broth begins to boil, turn heat down to a low simmer and cook for 60 minutes.


Serve with boiled potatoes.


There you have it. This is a sweet-tart soup. Those of you who like a sharp bite in your food will love this. You can round out the tanginess of the sauerkraut by sauteing it along with a sweet onion in some butter before adding it to the stock pot. Just make sure and let the kraut brown slightly, it will dramatically mellow the vinegar taste and bring out some of the sugars.

Well crablings, I'm off to my hole in the coral. Time to drown my sorrows in tequila and coconut rum. Until next time, remember, you can do it, you can cook.

Oh yeah, Crabby Quiz: There are three quotations in the body of this post, identify the speakers.

3 comments:

Stephanie said...

I do like the sound of this, but I have to admit, I've never been a lover of sauerkraut. Maybe this will change my mind?

pigpigscorner said...

I've never had Sauerkraut in soup before. Sounds interesting and delicious.

WineWizardBob said...

Napolean, a great dessert.
Rockerfeller, a great dish.
Churchill, a great cigar.

I serve a dish similar to this every New Years Day to bring good luck for the rest of the year, only difference is a bottle of Riesling from Alsace instead of the veggie broth. Love it with black bread spread with bacon fat instead of butter as the side. Yes, do not tell your doctor about that fact.
Anyway I serve this dish with Riesling or Pinot Gris from the Alsace. On a budget look for the Willm brand, feeling flush, go with a ten year old Zind-Humbrecht, and average, Trimbach is the brand to buy.