Fermented cabbage (a.k.a Sauerkraut) is very popular in Czech cuisine. It is used in soups or as a side dish with dumplings. This soup is usually served during autumn or winter. However, I like it on hot days as well because it reminds me of my home country. The soup tastes the best the day after when flavors of all ingredients have time to bond. All ingredients are available in several shops in Manila.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 sausages
- 1 onion
- 2,5 tbsp sweet paprika
- 2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 l broth/stock
- 800 ml water
- 2-3 potatoes
- 3-5 bay leaf
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3-5 allspice
- approx 500 g sauerkraut
- salt, pepper
- 100 ml cooking cream 35% fat
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Let the cabbage drip, squeeze, and cut (keep the juice). Peel and finely chop the onion.
- Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the sausages cut into circles and fry it on both sides for a while. Moravian sausages with strong smoky taste would be the best choice. In Manila I use Buure Schueblig sausages from Santis.
- Set it aside and add the onion to the fat. Add salt and slow down (there is no place to hurry). Leave it there for 5 to 10 minutes before it starts catching a strong color.
- Add paprika and flour to the onion. Stir it a bit and immediately pour the broth and water. Add potatoes, roasted sausages, bay leaf, cumin, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 15 minutes.
- Now, finally, add the cabbage to the soup and cook it all together; 15 minutes will do. Add the cooking cream and let it heat a little. At this moment, it’s time to play with the taste. If the soup is too sweet add some cabbage juice for acidification. If, on the other hand, the soup is too sour, use a little sugar. Serve it with a slice of sourdough bread.
Bon appetite! 😋