KWAS, Polish Easter Soup

Cured Ham
Polska Kielbasa
Eggs
Sauerkraut
Flour
Eggs, hard boiled
Horseradish

This is a Polish Easter Soup made by my mother-in-law every year that I can remember. She is gone, but the recipe is still made every year to satisfy our palates and bring back memories. This is not low cal, but it is only made once a year and served to our family the day before Easter. I typically use a half of a cured, bone-in ham, 3 pounds of kielbasa, and 2 large cans of sauerkraut to get approximately 5 quarts of broth. I would guess this makes about 25 servings. I never actually counted.

Instructions:
Cook ham and kielbasa in a large pot for 30 to 60 minutes, making sure all meat is well covered with water. In a separate pot, cook the undrained sauerkraut, covered with water, for several hours. Remove meat from first pot and set aside to cool. Reserve broth. After sauerkraut has cooked, strain, reserving the juice. Add sauerkraut juice to broth from the meat. Store in a refrigerator overnight to get fat to solidify at the top. Store sauerkraut for later. Cut ham and kielbasa into small chunks. Store in refrigerator. Hard boil eggs, about 2 per person. The next day, remove the fat from the broth and discard. Bring the broth to a boil. Whisk fresh eggs, 1 egg plus one egg shell of water per each quart of broth. Temper the eggs, then add to the boiling broth, stirring constantly. Mix 1 Tbs. of flour for each quart of broth with enough water to make a thin paste. Temper the flour mixture with the boiling broth, then add to the broth, stirring constantly. When the broth comes back to a boil, turn off the heat. Add 1 Tbs. horseradish.

The broth should be creamy looking but not too thick. If it's too thin, add more flour; if too salty, add 1 Tbs. sugar, not tangy enough, add 1-2 Tbs. vinegar. Bring back to boil.

Things to do ahead:
- Hard boil more eggs, approximately 2 per person.
- Cut the ham and kielbasa into small chunks.
- Warm the meat and sauerkraut to room temperature so they won't cool the soup when you put it in your bowl.

To serve:
Place a spoonful of each, ham and kielbasi, and a sliced, hard boiled egg in a bowl. Add some sauerkraut if you like. Ladle steaming hot broth over all. Add some horseradish if you like. Enjoy.

Tips:
- I put all the broth through a strainer to remove any little pieces of cooked egg that seem to happen when you add the egg and water mixture to the broth. Put the broth back into the pot and bring back to a boil.

Makes approximately 25 servings, depending on sizes of appetites. When calculating calories, remember to add the hard boiled egg to the total because it wasn't calculated in the recipe.

Number of Servings: 25

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user RSMAPPIN.