Slovenia : Obara

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE I USED

I found a lot of Slovenian recipes and, man, do they like sauerkraut. I also like sauerkraut but I have to be in the mood for it so I may not like it as much as they do. But that’s okay because I found out about Obara!

Obara is a thick soup with a lot of variations. I got the impression, through my internet travels, that every family has their own version (and everyone’s Grandma’s obara is the best) and there are no super hard and fast rules for it.

I did make some adjustments to the recipe but, given the differences in all of the recipes I read, they were within the “boundaries” of Obara. The recipe calls for chicken breasts but I used chicken thighs instead. I knew it was going to make a sizeable amount and I would be reheating leftovers and thighs don’t dry out as much breasts do when reheated. I’ve also gone off breasts a bit after encountering too many “woody” ones. Woody breast is a muscle condition in chickens that causes the breast meat to be hard and rubbery, no matter how you prepare it. It is gross.

I also completely forgot to buy pink peppercorns so I substituted with ground green and white peppercorns that I had in the cupboard.

The end result was a tasty, hearty, and filling soup, perfect for a chilly day. If you like any kind of chicken soup, you would probably like obara!

It seems like it is the perfect thing to make when you have things you need to use up. You can make it with or without chicken. You can use chicken or vegetable broth. Use whatever vegetables are seasonal, or whatever you have on hand, though onions and garlic impart a lot of flavor to the broth. If you don’t have pink peppercorns, the green and white worked out great!

Will I make it again? Absolutely!