Vegetable soup with smoked ham hock

I used a smoked pork hock that I received from my mother. I left part of it for aspic, and the rest went into a sour vegetable soup with borscht. This homemade hock requires more cooking time than what you find in stores, but the taste is different. The soup turns out hearty, salty, and slightly smoky, while the vegetables and borscht add freshness. It's the kind of recipe I don't make very often, but when I have homemade smoked meat, it's worth the time invested.

Quick Info

Total time: approximately 2 hours
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes
Servings: 6-8
Difficulty: medium
Recipe type: traditional soup, suitable for a hearty lunch

Ingredients

1/2 smoked pork hock (preferably homemade)
1 large red onion
1 carrot
1 small celery
200 g frozen green beans
2 red peppers
1/4 fresh cabbage
5 l water
1 l borscht
2 celery leaves with stalks
1 bunch of parsley
1 egg
salt

Preparation method

1. Wash and portion the hock if necessary. If you have a country smoked hock, place it in a large pot covered with warm water. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes, then drain the water, rinse the hock, and clean any impurities.

2. Put the hock back in the pot with 3 liters of fresh water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. When it starts to foam, carefully skim the foam off the surface, then reduce the heat to medium. Let it simmer until the skin is well cooked (about 1 hour for a homemade hock). If using a store-bought hock, the time may be shorter.

3. Meanwhile, peel and dice the vegetables: onion, carrot, celery. Chop the cabbage finely. The frozen green beans and peppers can be cut directly while still frozen.

4. When the skin on the hock is soft, add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot. After 10 minutes, add the cabbage.

5. Ten minutes after adding the cabbage, add the green beans and red pepper. There's no need to thaw the frozen vegetables; just chop them small and add them directly to the soup.

6. Let everything simmer until all the vegetables are tender but still firm. The time varies depending on how thick you cut the vegetables and how large the pieces of hock are.

7. Pour in 1 liter of borscht, along with the finely chopped celery leaves and stalks. Cook for another 15 minutes, taste, and add salt only if necessary – both the borscht and the hock can already be salty.

8. Remove from heat and add a beaten egg diluted with a few tablespoons of hot soup liquid. Stir to distribute evenly. Finally, sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Why I make this recipe often

It’s a hearty soup variant, great when I have homemade smoked meat. It’s made with simple vegetables that I always have in the fridge or freezer. The borscht gives it a sour taste, and the hock makes the soup filling.

Tips and variations

Tips

If the hock is very salty, you can discard the first two waters instead of one, so the soup doesn't turn out too salty.
Remove the bones from the soup before adding the borscht, so you can slice the meat more easily at the end.
If you want the soup to be more sour, add more borscht or less water from the start.
Use a large pot, as the volume increases as you add vegetables and borscht.

Substitutions

You can use any other smoked meat with a bone (shin, ribs).
If you don’t have borscht, lemon juice or vinegar works too, but the taste will be slightly different.
Cabbage can be replaced with beetroot or omitted if not everyone likes it.

Variations

Add a little sour cream to the bowl if you prefer a creamier soup.
If you want more vegetables, you can also add potatoes or zucchini.
You can also add lovage at the end if you have it on hand.

Serving ideas

The soup is served hot, with hot peppers and fresh bread. It also goes well with a spoonful of sour cream or, if needed, additional vinegar for those who prefer a very sour taste.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can I use store-bought smoked hock?
Yes, but the cooking time is shorter because it’s already heat-treated. However, check the taste, as some can be very salty.

2. Can I omit the egg?
You can skip the egg if you don’t like the texture or if you avoid eggs. The soup will be slightly clearer, but the main flavor comes from the meat and vegetables.

3. What do I do if I don’t have green beans?
You can use peas or even other frozen vegetables that you have on hand. The important thing is to chop them small and add them towards the end of cooking.

4. How much borscht can I add if I want the soup to be more sour?
You can add up to 1.5 liters if you like it very sour, but adjust the salt quantity as well.

5. Is lovage or other herbs necessary?
The original recipe has parsley and celery, but if you have lovage, you can add it at the end for extra flavor.

Nutritional values

The values are approximate for a medium serving (about 400-500 ml):

Calories: 180-220 kcal
Protein: 14-18 g
Carbohydrates: 15-20 g
Fats: 6-10 g

These vary depending on how fatty the hock is and how much meat you actually put in the bowl. The vegetables have few calories, the borscht almost none, but the smoked hock adds protein and salt.

Storage and reheating

The soup keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days in a covered pot. When reheating, bring it to a boil and then turn off the heat. If you added egg, it may gather on the surface, but it doesn’t affect the taste. I do not recommend freezing, as the vegetables and borscht change texture when thawed.

First, we prepare the ham hock, which, being from the countryside, requires more boiling than the commercial one. We put the ham hock to boil in warm water, enough to cover it, and let it boil until it reaches a rolling boil, after which we drain the water, rinse it well, and put it back to boil in 3 liters of water. We cover the pot and let it boil on high heat until it reaches the boiling point, then we remove the foam formed and reduce the heat to medium. We let the ham hock boil until the skin is tender; it took about an hour for me. We clean and chop the vegetables into small cubes. When the skin of the ham hock is tender, we add the onion, celery, and carrot, and after 10 minutes, we add the cabbage. The green beans and pepper, being from the freezer, will be chopped finely while still frozen and added to the soup later than the other vegetables. When all the vegetables are well cooked, we add the borscht, chopped celery leaves, and stalks. We let it simmer for about 15 minutes, during which we adjust the salt, tasting the broth since both the ham hock and the borscht are salty, after which we turn off the heat and add a beaten egg diluted with the soup and chopped parsley. It is very good, with a smoky flavor and many aromas from the vegetables!

 Ingredients: 1/2 smoked pork hock, 1 large red onion, 1 carrot, 1 small celery, 200g frozen green beans, 2 red peppers, 1/4 fresh cabbage, 5L water, 1L bors, 2 celery leaves with stalks, 1 bunch of parsley, 1 egg, salt

 Tags:  vegetable soup pork soup