^{Photo © Brandstätter Verlag/Photo Thomas Apolt}

Ingredients for 4 people as a main course

• 1 onion
• 20 g butter
• 500 g beetroot
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 50 g rose vinegar (alternatively raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar)
• 200 g chunky tomatoes from can/jar
• salt
• 1 litre of water
• 500 g beetroot juice
• 300 g savoy cabbage
• 200 g cured beef tongue or tongue sausage
• black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cloves
• 5 allspice grains
• 2 star anise
• 4 tbsp spelt rice (50g)
• Fresh dill to serve
• Sour cream to serve

Preparation

Cut the onion into rings and sauté in the butter. Peel the beetroot and cut into 1 x 1 cm cubes. Add the diced beetroot and sugar to the onions. Allow to caramelise. Deglaze with rose vinegar and reduce completely. Add the chopped tomatoes and season with 2 tbsp salt. Add water and beetroot juice. Cut the savoy cabbage into small diamonds and add. Cut 4 thin slices from the beef tongue to serve and set aside, dice the rest and add to the soup. Season well with the spices. Add the spelt rice (for binding). Simmer the soup uncovered for 1.5 hours.

Serve the soup with fresh dill and sour cream.

TIP: Tastes best warmed up the next day.

VARIANT For an even more flavoursome Alpine minestrone, leave 1 handful of organic hay in large tea bags to infuse in the soup for 10 minutes at the end.

^{This recipe comes from the Salzkammergut cookery book by Lukas Nagl & Katharina Seiser, published by Brandstätter Verlag}

Good luck Lukas Nagl, Seehotel Das Traunsee

Klosterplatz 4
4801 Traunkirchen
+43 7617 2216
dastraunsee.at