Sauerkraut soup--encountered in a Czech-German restaurant in the U.S., with general recipes/guidelines obtained from the Internet
Drain a large can of sauerkraut and rinse two or three times. Put into a saucepan, cover with water, add caraway seed and/or grated small peeled potato (both are optional) and a teaspoon of sugar (very optional--I don't add sugar, but some people prefer a slightly sweet sauerkraut), and boil for about twenty minutes.
Adding the small amount of grated potato makes the sauerkraut taste milder. It's a matter of personal preference.
While the sauerkraut is boiling, prepare a roux with about two to three tablespoons each of oil and flour. Optionally, fry two to three slices of bacon and use the bacon drippings as the oil. Also optionally, add about 1/4 cup of chopped onions to the oil and fry before adding the flour to brown. Alternatively, slice a German or Polish sausage into medallions and fry in oil and then add the flour. IOW, meat and onions are optional but can be added for the roux.
Stir the roux into the sauerkraut and heat for a few more minutes.
At this point you can stop, as you now have a Czech-style sauerkraut which can be served along with the standard bread or potato dumplings, gravy, and pork roast that constitute one of the most popular Czech meals.
But we're talking soup here. And I'm assuming that if you want soup, you might have a cold. So--
For soup, take about one third of a cup of the sauerkraut mixture per serving and stir into one cup of chicken broth (canned is fine, with Campbell's the best of the canned choices) per serving, and serve hot.
Any cold germs will not stay around. Trust me.
