Well, I had this stuff I bought at the new Polish deli in the
Strip District a few weeks back. They had 4 kinds of "kielbasa" -
the kind you usually see, another one that is the same but double
smoked, the 3rd kind was very thin and dried, but the 4th one is
what I bought. I was double smoked and "spicy" I was told. It
was just about 12" long - not in the big loops that you usually
see.

I also saw something there I had never heard of before - rib
bacon. It is bacon with ribs attached. It is smoked. So I
bout a chunk of that to try.

I decided I wanted to make some kind of soup using both of these
meats. I searched for recipes but didn't come up with a Polish
recipe for sausage soups except with cabbage or sauerkraut in
them. I wanted something different. I did find a Croatian
recipe that sounded good. I also found a Hungarian recipe that
sounded good. And one that was not ethnically identified - just
Sausage, Potato, and Kale soup. So I decided to make up my own
soup using some of the ideas from these recipes.

I cooked the rib bacon in some water for about 1 hours then removed
it and chopped up the meat. I added onion and garlic to the water
plus some chicken broth. I added one bunch of chopped kale and some
marjoram and bay leaved and cooked the kale for about 1/2 hour.

Then I added 1 large can, drained, of dark red kidney beans, 2 cans
of Delmonte diced potatoes, and the chopped bacon, and the sausage
which I had thinly sliced. I also added some freshly ground pepper.
I had tasted the bacon after I cooked it and it was quite salty so
I did not add additional salt. I cooked it for about 1/2 hour longer.
At the end I stirred in about 1/2 pint of sour cream (well, actually
I ladled out some of the broth and mixed it with the sour cream and
then added it all back).

It's pretty good soup. It's a little saltier than I prefer but
not over the line. If I had had unsalted chicken broth I would have
used that. I thought about not using any chicken broth at all but
decided to go ahead. I also added additional water to make up the
correct amount of liquid. My 4 qt. Dutch oven was full.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?