Family Recipe: Mary Klinker’s Kapusta
Photo credit: Arlene King
Submitted by Arlene King
To be honest, my mother, Mary Klinker, never really loved to cook all that much. So, when it came to mealtime, her style of cooking was firmly rooted in a no-fuss, no-frills approach.
Mary Klinker
Thinking back, there were probably a few good reasons for this. Her parents were polish immigrants who settled in “the patch” in Turners Falls, where she grew up during the lean years of the Great Depression. She later worked at the Pro Brush factory in Florence. Also, my father was very much a meat and potatoes man. His taste in food could be described as strictly “unadventurous.” As a result, my mother prepared a lot of simple, old-country meals. Despite their simplicity, the food always tasted good and filled us up.
We always knew when my mother was making kapusta because the fragrant smell of it filled the house. While I don’t make cabbage soup as frequently as my mother did, I do enjoy preparing this traditional family dish, particularly on a cold winter’s day. I hope you enjoy it too.
Mary Klinker’s Cabbage Soup
Ingredients:
1 large cabbage
1 can sauerkraut (drained)
1 medium onion
1 rack spare ribs (sectioned)
½ cup pearled barley (rinsed)
1 beef bullion cube
1 cup water
Preparation:
Dissolve beef bullion cube in one cup of boiling water. Add bullion broth and all ingredients to a large, deep stock pot. Add more water until ingredients are covered. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 60 minutes or until cabbage and pork are tender. Remove pork bones and stir until pork and cabbage are thoroughly mixed.
Serve with a side of rye or pumpernickel bread with butter.
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