Flashback Friday

My Aunt Ruthie at her 1st Communion. She is the 3rd from the right in the front row.

What year? Well let's see. To the best of my knowledge, my Aunt was born in 1923, so if she was about 7, this photo is circa 1930.

One other interesting point is that the Catholic church is the Lithuanian church. Those were the days of Catholic churches for each immigrant community and god-forbid! that the churches should mix. They may have all been Roman Catholic but they were not catholic in spirit. But times have changed, these immigrants blended in, raised Lithuanian American children and American grandchildren. My Aunt was in the 2nd stage, the group like my mother who grew up speaking English and never learned Lithuanian. Interestingly, I was the 3rd generation, but because I was raised by my grandparents during WWII, I first spoke Lithuanian, and only learned English when I was 3 years old.

Souper Saturday

Soup, soup. I had planned to make myself a luxe crab soup of some sorts, but the cold killed my taste buds for most of the week as well as seriously curbing my appetite. The latter is a good thing. So no crab soup was cooked tho I may take half of the sauted crab and make dh a Maryland Crab Soup in a day or so when he gets back home.

What I did eat this week was a poofed...pulled from the freezer...container of Lithuanian Sauerkraut Soup. This is one that doesn't always look enticing tho it really is delicious. DH will eat it but isn't wild about sauerkraut. No Lithuanian blood in that boy! The sourness mostly cooks away but being a person who likes sour and tart, I'm glad for what's left. While this recipe calls for pork, I know how many recipes substitute turkey for pork these days, so here's another one where you can use that turkey carcass. You have my blessing. I suspect the ancient Nanas of the world would make you call it Lithuanian-American Sauerkraut soup instead of kapusta, but that's minor. Just try it. It's hearty and makes a sick woman feel almost well.

SOUP Lithuanian Sauerkraut Soup

• 4 or 5 spare ribs (try a meaty turkey or chicken carcass)
• 1 diced onion (medium or large)
• A few bay leaves
• Peppercorns to taste (I use 5 to 10)
• Quart or large bag of sauerkraut (not rinsed)
• 1/2 fresh cabbage - shredded (optional)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (soup sized can)
• 1 garlic clove
• Mushrooms (optional)

Cut up a 1/2 slab of ribs and brown the spare ribs in a bit of any oil or crisco. This browning is optional. Cover the ribs well with water; add bay leaves, garlic, several peppercorns and the diced onion. Cook the ribs until very soft. I always use a pressure cooker since it's a time saver. But this isn't necessary.
When the ribs are cooked, remove the meat from the rib bone and cut into pieces and put back into the pot. Leave the "ribs water" and add the sauerkraut and also some shredded fresh cabbage. This fresh is optional but really stretches the soup in case you don't have a lot of kraut on hand and it tastes good, too! Add the can of diced tomatoes and some sliced mushrooms. If you’re lucky enough to have some wild mushrooms around, they're wonderful in any "kapusta" dish. Add more water if necessary for the soup consistency you like.

This soup can be made from any cut of fresh pork that you have on hand. It's best to use something that has a bone. So, even if all you have is a pork chop and a little bit of kraut in the fridge - you can make a small pot of soup for yourself.

One special old time favorite is to have some chilled, whole boiled potatoes on the side. The hot soup and cold potatoes complement each other. ( I find this idea vile but then I'm born and bread East Coast American.)

I realize this is a loosly described recipe. But kapusta soup is something you can't screw up. The strong flavor of the kraut takes care of any sins along the way. I hope someone has some new ideas for this soup.
Recipe by: Helen

This is...

...my favorite childhood memory. This week's theme comes from Danielle at TeacupsonTreetops. Thanks for a sweet one.

I truly don't think I have almost any toy, possession etc still around from my childhood so I have to go with a memory.



My Lithuanian grandfather used to take me mushroom hunting in the woods across the street from the house where we lived in Pennsylvania. My grandparents lived in the other half of the duplex next door. I was under three when this happened and I'm sure my Nana was glad to have me out from under her feet since my grandparents were raising me while my mother worked and my father was a soldier during WWII. (My mother worked in Philadelphia and only saw me on the weekends when she came home.)

I can remember the light thru the trees and the smell and sound of walking on decaying leaves and twigs. PopPop knew the mushrooms well and I wish that talent had been passed down to me. Alas, he died when I was 3 yrs old and that is also the first time my heart was broken. There is a certain autumnal light that can surprise me with this memory on occasion.

I still love mushrooms in any shape or form! Want to see what others treasure? Check Angela's list at Three Buttons.