Illes Balkanfeuer – a warming soup with red wine

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 3 bell peppers, red, green, yellow
• 1 small can of white beans
• 3 potatoes
• 2 onions
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 125 g lean smoked pork or cooked ham
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 125 ml red wine, mild or sweet, or orange juice
• 1 tbsp Ajvar, or tomato paste
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt
• Pepper, freshly ground
• curry powder
• Paprika powder (rose paprika)
• 1 shot of balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 15 minutes

ww – suitable, low-fat meal – 3.5 P/portion

Sauté the roughly diced onion and garlic in oil until translucent, then lightly fry with the diced potatoes. Add the bell peppers, cut more into small pieces, and sauté gently for about 15 minutes with a little vegetable stock. Season with salt, pepper, and the other spices, along with 1 tablespoon of ajvar, and pour in the remaining vegetable stock. Add the white beans. Season to taste. Add the smoked pork sausage, cut into strips or cubes, and simmer gently for a while; do not boil again. To refine the flavor, add the sweet red wine or orange juice. A dash of balsamic vinegar rounds off the soup. The flavor should be rather spicy and sweet. Tip: If you like, you can add a dollop of sour cream, cream, or yogurt when serving. This soup is suitable for the WWII and can be expanded with additional ingredients as needed. It’s a unique way of using up leftovers from the red wine of the same name from the GDR era. Any sweet leftover red wine that you don’t want to drink yourself will do.