Soljanka – Traditional German Soljanka

Preparation

1. 01

   Step 01

   Finely dice the onions, coarsely grate the carrots, and cut the potatoes into small cubes. Cut the smoked sausage into approximately 1 cm cubes. Finely dice the pickled cucumbers and slice the olives into rings.

2. 02

   Sweat in butter over medium heat.

   Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Sweat the onions and carrots until translucent, 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. 03

   Briefly pan-fry the sausage cubes.

   Add the smoked sausage cubes and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes until lightly browned.

4. 04

   Briefly toast the tomato paste.

   Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until it darkens and becomes fragrant.

5. 05

   Simmer over low heat.

   Pour in the hot meat broth and add the potato cubes. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

6. 06

   Step 06

   Add the pickle cubes, olive rings, pickle brine, lemon juice, and bay leaves to the soup. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar.

7. 07

   Let steep over low heat.

   Let the soljanka steep over low heat for another 10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. Remove the bay leaves.

8. 08

   Step 08

   Ladle the soljanka into deep bowls and serve each with a dollop of sour cream.