This past week I’ve eaten more cabbage than before in the whole month – let’s say I rediscovered this vegetable that I’ve been enjoying before mostly in its raw state (i.e., in delicious salads). The better half of our household does, unfortunately, not share the same affection for cabbage and other veggie members of the Brassicaceae family, therefore I’m making such meals for myself only. But hey, I don’t see that as a problem – more for me!

Today’s winter meal is all about fermented cabbage or sauerkraut, eaten very commonly throughout the Central Europe, all winter long. So I had about 200g of sauerkraut in the fridge and just before I was about to turn all of it into salad (which, by the way, is the healthiest way of eating it), I changed my mind. I turned half of it into a hearty soup and the other half I ate as salad. I loved the colors of both dishes – so vivid and uplifting! A definitely satisfying lunch.

SAUERKRAUT SOUP

sauerkraut
water or vegetable broth
a bit of tomato puree
root vegetables (I used parsley and celery root and carrot)
cooked (brown) beans
bay leaf
grated nutmeg
salt
smoked paprika powder for decoration

1. The preparation is simple: place the cleaned/peeled and chopped vegetables in water or broth, bring to boil, season and simmer for 15′ or so, add the beans and sauerkraut and cook for 5 or 10 minutes more.
2. Remove from the stove and let sit for 5 more minutes, then serve, sprinkled with smoked paprika.

SAUERKRAUT SALAD

sauerkraut
walnut kernels
pink grapefruit slices
black sesame seeds
olive oil
apple vinegar

1. Combine the sauerkraut, walnuts, grapefruit and sesame seeds in a salad bowl, season with vinaigrette and enjoy right away!