Red cabbage cream soup with glazed chestnuts

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 small head of red cabbage
• 1 small onion(s)
• 1 apple
• 5 juniper berries
• 3 cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• ¾ liter red wine (e.g. Pinot noir)
• 1 liter vegetable broth
• 4 tbsp vinegar (red wine vinegar)
• 30 g butter
• Salt and pepper, from the mill
• 3 dashes of balsamic vinegar
• 100 g sugar
• 250 ml cream
• 16 chestnuts, pre-cooked

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Total time approx. 12 hours 30 minutes

The red cabbage must marinate for at least 12 hours

Finely grate the red cabbage. Thinly slice the onion and apple. Place everything in a large bowl and top up with red wine and red wine vinegar. Season with pepper and salt, and add the juniper berries, bay leaves, and cloves. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. After marinating, drain the red cabbage, onions, and apple, reserving the wine juices. Melt the butter in a sufficiently large saucepan and sauté the vegetables, stirring constantly. Then add the marinade and vegetable stock and simmer with the lid on for a good 1 1/2 hours. After this time, purée the soup. Caramelize half of the sugar with a little water in a saucepan. When the caramel is light brown, quickly stir in 3-4 ladles of the soup, one at a time, to avoid lumps. Stir this mixture into the soup, top up with cream, and season with a few dashes of balsamic vinegar. Caramelize the remaining sugar with a little water and coat the chestnuts in it. First, ladle the soup into deep bowls. Then carefully place the chestnuts in the center of the soup, making sure they’re still visible. Spoon some caramel onto a spoon and sprinkle a few drops of it over the soup as a garnish.