Slovenian-style bean and cabbage soup with cotechino

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Cooked borlotti beans120 g
• Cotechino50 g
• Savoy cabbage120 g
• Sauerkraut60 g
• Potatoes80 g
• Onion40 g
• Vegetable broth500 ml
• Bay leavesto taste
• Black pepperto taste
• Saltto taste

Contains: celery,

In season: November – February

Method

1. Cut the pre-cooked cotechino into dice of about 1 cm, removing the skin; chop the onion; peel the potatoes and dice them into 1.5 cm pieces; remove the tough rib from the Savoy cabbage and cut it into strips. Rinse and squeeze the sauerkraut; rinse and drain the borlotti beans. Heat the vegetable stock.
2. Put the cotechino and onion in a dry pot over medium heat and fry for 4–5 minutes, until the cotechino is golden and the onion translucent.
3. Add the potatoes, cabbage, sauerkraut, a bay leaf and the hot stock, bring to the boil and cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, until the cabbage and potatoes are tender.
4. Add the beans and cook for 10 more minutes, until the soup has thickened; crush a few potatoes with the ladle if you want it creamier.
5. Remove the bay leaf, taste and season with salt (the cotechino is already salty) and serve with a grind of black pepper.