Potato and Apple Soup
Course: SoupsCuisine: Germany – Lower RhineDifficulty: MediumThe Lower Rhine Valley around the city of Cologne was a fertile region and traditionally a major producer of potatoes. Head further south towards Bonn, and the landscape changes into dense forests and rolling hills, perfect for cultivating apples, pears, and other fruits. Many of the region’s most famous recipes combine both the “Apple of the Sky” and the “Apple of the Earth” (a pun on the old German word for potato.) This recipe is a slightly different interpretation from the standard German potato soup recipe, incorporating sour apples that the region was once known for.
Ingredients
500g Potatoes of the softer kind for making mash or soup
1 large Onion
3 Sour Apples
30g Butter
8 Allspice Corns
250ml White Wine
500ml Vegetable Broth
100g Blood Sausage or Pork-belly
Pepper and Salt to taste
250ml Heavy Cream
(Optional: Rosemary or other herbs)
Directions
- Cut the potatoes, onion, and apples into cubes.
- Fry the onion in the butter until the moisture has largely evaporated.
- Crush the allspice and add to the onions along with the potatoes and apples.
- Sir, for a minute, mix well and heat through.
- Add the wine and broth and bring to a boil.
- The soup should boil for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
- In the meantime, fry the sausage or the pork until crispy. Make sure to use a dry or hard blood sausage, or else you will end up with black pudding.
- Add the salt, pepper, and cream to the soup, then blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a food processor.
- Mix in the herbs if desired and serve with the sausage or meat as a garnish.