Štajerska kisla juha
The Styrian sour soup: pork simmered with potatoes and root vegetables, thickened with a flour roux and finished with a splash of vinegar and a spoon of cream.
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 1 h 30 min
- total
- 1 h 50 min
- serves
- 6
- level
- easy
Kisla juha, 'sour soup', is a staple of Štajerska, eastern Slovenia. A pork cut is simmered with root vegetables and potatoes, thickened with a browned roux, then given its sharp edge by a splash of vinegar added at the end.
The sourness is balanced, not aggressive. Add the vinegar a spoonful at a time, taste, and finish with sour cream if you like it round and soft.
Štajerska kisla juha is one of the twenty most famous Slovenian foods.
method
Simmer the pork in the water with the onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and caraway for about 1 hour, skimming the foam, until the meat is nearly tender.
Add the potatoes, carrot and parsnip and cook for 20 minutes, until tender.
Make a roux: melt the lard, stir in the flour and cook until deep golden. Add the garlic and marjoram for a few seconds, then ladle in some hot soup to loosen it before stirring it into the pot.
Simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Take out the pork, pull the meat from the bones and return it to the soup.
Stir in the vinegar a tablespoon at a time until pleasantly tangy, then the sour cream if using. Season with salt.
chef's tips
- Add the vinegar off the boil; boiling it dulls the fresh sourness.
- The soup tastes best a few hours after cooking or the next day.
- Smoked pork gives a deeper flavor; fresh pork is the lighter, more traditional-in-summer choice.