Sauerkraut Soup

Name: Sauerkraut Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Eastern European
Ingredients: 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth; 3 cups drained sauerkraut; 1 cup reserved sauerkraut brine; 1 pound dry chorizo, sliced into ¼-inch half moons; 4 ounces slab bacon, finely diced (about 1 cup); 8 ounces button mushrooms, stemmed and halved; 4 green serrano chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced; 2 green bell peppers—stemmed, seeded and diced; 2 sweet onions, diced; ½ cup dried apricots, roughly chopped; 8 ounces russet potatoes, peeled and diced; 2 large tomatoes, cored and diced with their juice; 12 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 5 tablespoons hot paprika; 6 to 10 dried chipotle or árbol chiles (optional); 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, toasted; 2 bay leaves; Salt, to taste; Sour cream, for garnish; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste