East Prussian-style turnip soup

Ingredients for 10 servings:

• 2 large turnips (1 ½ to 2 kilos)
• 2 ½ kg potato(s), waxy
• 1 kg pork belly or smoked pork
• 3 bay leaves
• 9 grains allspice
• Mustard
• salt and pepper
• 150 g crème fraîche or sour cream

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

Boil the belly pork in water, cover with bay leaves and allspice, for 35-40 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the turnips in water for 30-35 minutes. They will then be easy to peel and dice. Add to the meat. Peel and finely dice the raw potatoes, then add to the pot and boil for another 30-35 minutes. Make sure there is enough water in the pot, topping up if necessary, so that all the ingredients are well covered. When the potatoes and turnips are tender, fish out the bay leaves and allspice berries, remove the meat, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Scoop some of the liquid out of the pot and mash the turnips and potatoes with a potato masher until you have a puree, finer or chunkier to taste. Add enough of the skimmed liquid back in until the soup has the desired consistency. Season with mustard, salt, and pepper, and add to taste; the mustard should be quite noticeable. Stir in the crème fraîche or sour cream, return the chopped meat to the soup, and heat everything back up. Season to taste and serve. Have salt and pepper mills at the table so everyone can adjust the seasoning to their liking.