Silesian beer gingerbread sauce with fish (blue carp) or Silesian white sausages

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 bunch of soup vegetables (carrots, leeks, greens, celery)
• 750 ml water
• Bay leaf
• allspice berries
• clove(s)
• 200 g sauce cake (gingerbread, spicy)
• ½ bottle of malt beer
• 100 ml beer (e.g. Alt or Pils)
• Salt
• a little pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

traditional Christmas meal in Silesia, also called fish gingerbread sauce or just beer sauce

Cook the soup vegetables in approximately 750 ml of water with bay leaves, allspice, and cloves until soft. Then strain, e.g., using a food mill. Soak the gingerbread in the strained broth until they dissolve. Strain again or purée thoroughly with a hand blender; there should be no chunks left in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly. Caution: it can burn easily! Set the stove to medium heat and thin the sauce with malt beer. Simmer gently at medium heat. Season to taste with “real” beer. Malt beer sweetens the sauce, while real beer adds the necessary bitterness. Depending on your taste, you can adjust the consistency with the beer. The sauce should be creamy and not too runny. The sauce is easy to prepare, so it’s simply warmed up on Christmas Eve, seasoned with salt and pepper, and served with sauerkraut, boiled potatoes, and Silesian white sausages or blue trout. These gingerbreads are available from Silesian bakers or online.