Klachlsuppe – Styrian pork hock soup

Have the fresh hock pieces cut by the butcher ready; the stated weight includes the skin and bones before cooking. Remove any bone fragments. Leave the carrots, celeriac and parsley root in large pieces and halve the onion. Lightly crush the garlic. Measure out 2 l water for the pot, up to 250 ml reserve and 50 ml cold water for thickening later, keeping them separate.

Put the hock in a pot with a capacity of about 5 l and cover with 2 l cool water. Slowly bring to a boil, skimming off the foam. Reduce the heat and add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, juniper berries, peppercorns, caraway, 4 g salt and 20 ml vinegar. Simmer very gently with the lid ajar for 90 minutes. Add the carrots, celeriac and parsley root and cook for another 45–60 minutes, until the meat is very tender and comes away from the bones easily. Cook longer if needed. If the liquid level drops noticeably, add a little at a time from the single shared reserve of up to 250 ml. Set any unused reserve aside.

Lift the hock and root vegetables onto a large plate. Let the meat cool for about 10 minutes so it is easy to handle; meanwhile, strain all the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Discard the onion, garlic and spices caught in the sieve. Skim excess free fat from the surface of the broth. Remove all the tender meat, soft skin and soft cartilage from the bones and cut into bite-size pieces. Discard the bones, tough cartilage and sinews. Dice the cooked carrots, celeriac and parsley root and keep them for the soup.

In a bowl, thoroughly mix all the sour cream with the all-purpose flour and the reserved 50 ml cold water until smooth. Take 200 ml hot broth from the pot and gradually whisk it into the bowl in several additions. Pour the entire mixture back into the remaining broth. This is the same broth, not extra liquid. Heat over low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring along the bottom too, until the soup thickens slightly, steams and forms small bubbles around the edge. Do not let it boil vigorously. Add all the deboned meat, soft skin and cartilage and the cooked vegetables, then heat for another 3–5 minutes until everything is hot.

Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the remaining 10 ml vinegar, the marjoram and ground pepper. Taste and add only as much of the remaining 4 g salt as needed; set the rest aside. Divide all the broth, meat, soft skin and cartilage and vegetables among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with all the freshly grated horseradish, dividing it evenly among the portions, and serve immediately.