Slovak Christmas Eve Mushroom Soup

Name: Slovak Christmas Eve Mushroom Soup
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 12 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 -2 lb onion, chopped; 1 1/4 cups butter, divided (May need a little more); 2 lbs mushrooms, finely chopped (we use white mushrooms); 1 quart water; 10 (7 1/2 ounce) cans sauerkraut juice; 1/4 cup flour

Submitted by Jane from Ohio

"This was passed down from generation to generation. I don't have a recipe for this soup, but I will try to esitmate the portions. It is a sour soup but it is delicious. People either love it or not. My neice never liked it and now she loves it, can't wait till Christmas Eve. My grandmother used to use mushrooms my grandfather and dad would pick up in the woods. I believe they called them sheephead. My grandmother would then clean them and hang them to dry. We can't find the mushrooms for sale and are afraid to go and look for them in the woods. We don't know the good from the bad."

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photo by Jane from Ohio

Ready In:: 2hrs
Ingredients:: 6
Serves:: 12

ingredients

1 -2 lb onion, chopped
1 ¹⁄₄ cups butter, divided (May need a little more)
2 lbs mushrooms, finely chopped (we use white mushrooms)
1 quart water
10 (7 1/2 ounce) cans sauerkraut juice
¹⁄₄ cup flour

directions

Saute chopped onions in 1 cup butter until golden brown.
Add finely chopped mushrooms to onions, and cook until mushrooms are done.
Add water and cans of sauerkraut juice, bring to boil, lower heat and simmer 1/2 hour.
In a small sauce pan brown remaining 1/4 cup butter, adding flour to make a roux.
Slowly add some soup juice (about 2 cups) to the roux, stirring to blend.
Add roux to soup and cook another 15 minutes to 30 minutes. Serve.

Questions & Replies

When would you add keilbasa and rice?

georgejiski
I’m Jeremy from Cleveland Ohio and my mom made this every Xmas eve also. She did a slight variation and would use these dried mushrooms and then rehydrate them and would also use small cut up potatoes and homemade dumplings/spetzals. I love it!

Ace22jer
I want to make a version of the Christmas soup made with, rice, kraut juice, keilbasa, and mushrooms. Any body got such a receipt ?

iski111

Reviews

First generation American born Slovak here. Yes, this indeed this is one of the courses served during a traditional Christmas Eve (Vilija) dinner that starts when the youngest kid in the family spots the first star in the evening. In Slovak it is called "hubova ma?anka"). It is actually a simpler version of "kapustnica." My grandmother and mother made it when we were kids and growing up. I loved it and still make every so often for my family at Christmas to keep the traditions alive. Everybody loves it, but one usually has to be raised eating it or like a more sour soup. Since Christmas Eve is a day of fast from meat and dairy, you never would never put any meat or sour cream in it. The dishes of the Vilija Dinner each have a specific symbolic meaning for those of the Byzantine Catholic/Orthodox faith. Sauerkraut juice is "sour" so I think anyone would get the symbolism of what we experience during our life of faith et al. So CHRISTOS RAŽDAJETSJA! SLAVITE JEHO! (Christ is born! Glorify Him!)

William Milan U.
Just like my Slovak grandmother used to make every Christmas Eve.Thank You so much for posting!

crossbordershopper
Thanks for posting - my Babchi made it every year for New Year's dinner to wish us good luck for the new year. She'd scoop the sauerkraut juice from the big pot she was cooking the stuffed cabbage (halupki) in to add to this delicious soup..

Scubablue
We make it as well, my mom also added barley, cubed potatoes, carrot and celery. We also put the sauerkraut itself in the soup.

Judy T.
We have this every Christmas Eve. This recipe was the closet to my Grandmothers. I added a few things though. Browning sauce for color and dried mushrooms in addition to the fresh.

Natalie R.