January's new dish: Kurkuda soup

There is a number 11 on my list of Resolutions 2012, and it is there to make me try and cook something new at least once a month. You know having the same food for long periods of time can only lead to not cooking them in the next 3-5 years, depending on the variety of meals you usually make. We don't want that, because we love that food, don't we? Here's the first new dish I did in January 2012...

Kurkuda soup is a typical Bulgarian soup, and it is exclusively made in the area of my hometown and the surrounding towns and villages, north Bulgaria. Our grandmothers are proud to pass their recipes forward to us so we keep traditions as they should be - eternal.

If you are a fan of sour cabbage and pork this is a must-try, definitely! Before I start with the recipe, I just want to note that this is my grandma's recipe and it may slightly differ form the recipes of other families, but this is the charm of it.

RECIPE for Kurkuda Soup

Products:

    500g pork meat

    4-5 leaves sour cabbage, pickled home-style

    1 onion

    1 carrot

    salt, pepper, savory

    2 s.f. canned tomato juice

    1l water /could be mixed with some sour juice from the cabbage if you wish for a more intense sour taste/

Preparation:

1. Fill a pot with water and put it on the hot-plate until it boils. Do not add oil, because the meat is going to extract some by itself later on.

2. While the water is heating up, chop the onion, the cabbage leaves, and the meat in small pieces.

3.  When the water boils, add the chopped products altogether and let them cook for a while.

4. Add the spices, and try the soup occasionally in the course, so you know if it needs more salt or sour cabbage juice and add it accordingly.

5. When the meat changes it's color, you can now add 2 spoon-fulls of tomato juice and the carrot. Let it cook.

6.  In the end you can thicken the soup by adding a beaten egg, flour etc., but this is not mandatory. I like it clear, so I missed the last step.

Tip: I added just a little bit of some really hot spice I have, and the soup got a chilli taste, but when it's hot and served with bread and black pepper powder it is the best cold-fighter, I promise!

The whole cooking process took me no longer than an hour, I guess, but it is really simple to make and so delicious to eat. I hope you like the recipe, and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will do my best to help you.

Nikon D60, 18-55mm.

PS: January down, eleven more to go.