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Polish Cabbage Sausage SoupPolish cabbage sausage soup is what you might call a peasant meal. Most cultures have at least one type of sausage, usually something that was originally made with leftover cuts of meat,
heavily spiced to disguise the strong odors that come with the lower cuts and entrails. Polish sausage is no exception, but
depsite its humble beginnings it is a food fit for kings. Ingredients
1 pat of butter
1 medium onion, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped finely 6 small potatoes, diced 1/2 pound Polish sausage, sliced on the diagonal 8 cups chicken broth or stock 4 cups shredded cabbage (1/4 head) 2 cups frozen peas Marjoram and Thyme to taste Salt and pepper to taste Preparation1. Melt butter in soup pot on medium low.2. Add onion, celery and sausage. Sprinkle with salt, cook until onions are nearly soft, and sausages begin to brown. 3. Add cabbage. Cook until cabbage becomes soft and slightly wilted. 4. Splash a small amount of chicken broth into the pot, and use a wooden spoon to scrape off the brown bits of sausage that cooked onto the bottom of the pot. 5. Add chicken broth and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and allow to simmer for a few minutes. NotesIf you like your potatoes softer, you can boil them for a few minutes ahead of time, but you really don't want to overcook cabbage sausage soup. If you do, the sausage begins to break down, and spoils the look of the soup. Also, the fat from the sausage leaks out more than it would otherwise.Tips and TechniquesHow you season with spices and herbs depends on whether you are using fresh or dried. If you are using dried, then you want to add the spices at the beginning of the cooking process, before you add any liquid. This is because dried herbs and spices have their flavor locked away in their dried cells, and it takes longer to extract the flavor.By contrast, fresh herbs and spices give up their flavor very quickly, so quickly that you want to add them only near the end of the cooking process before the flavor has time to dissipate into the air. So remember: dry herbs early, fresh herbs late. Return from Cabbage Sausage Soup to Clear Soups
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