Kielbasa & Cabbage Soup, 'kapusniak' in Polish
This is a much loved soup common - with variations, throughout Eastern Europe where they actually seem to like cabbages and even more they cook them and make fab dishes. This behaviour is unlike us Brits who are only able to steam or boil the vegetable, prior to adding it to the side of a plate, prior to upsetting our offspring with the offending greenery, and prior to uttering words, like, 'Eat it. It's good for you'.
This is a quick tea, tasty and healthy, the cabbage when cooked becomes sweet, so there is a good contrast in flavours as adding sauerkraut at the end brings sourness. The caraway and kielbasa are the flavours of Eastern Europe.
1 Smoked Polish sausage
Onion
2 Carrots
A few spuds
Half a cabbage, savoy or white
This is veg soup so whatever you had would not be wrong - I had a couple of leeks that wanted using.
Couple of toms
Garlic
Paprika
Cider/rice/ white wine vinegar
Bay leaf
Caraway seeds
Chicken stock
Some sauerkraut or creme fresh to finish.
In a little oil soften the onions, and leeks, add sausage (cut into bite sized pieces) chopped carrot, diced spuds, then add the garlic. Add a tsp of caraway seeds and the same of paprika mix about then add chicken stock to cover. Add a drop of vinegar, chuck in a bay leaf, chopped toms, simmer for five minutes, then add finely sliced cabbage, top up the stock a little, but whilst this is a soup, it's very thick. Simmer for another fifteen mins and when your carrots and spuds are ready add a couple of tbl spoons of sauerkraut and mix in. Check for seasoning and serve.