Viennese Krautfleckerln

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g pasta (Fleckerl), square or diamond-shaped
• 1 head of white cabbage
• 2 tbsp caraway seeds, whole
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 liter soup (vegetable, chicken, beef), as desired
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 45 minutes

A classic of Viennese cuisine – a few tricks make this dish something very special!

Halve the white cabbage, remove the stalk, and cut into strips (it doesn’t have to be too fine; about 1 cm wide is ideal). Heat a little oil in a saucepan and briefly roast the chopped cabbage and caraway seeds. Add the sugar and pour in the soup. Simmer over low heat for about 2-3 hours. The cabbage is ready when it’s really soft and no longer has any bite. It should now be a little darker and taste sweet. Season with salt and pepper. Bring salted water to a boil and cook the Fleckerl (square or diamond-shaped pasta called this in Austria) until al dente. Strain, mix with the cabbage, and serve hot. The long simmering time is very important for Viennese Krautfleckerl. Many recipes call for the cabbage to be cooked for around 30 minutes. This is incorrect – it takes considerably longer for the cabbage to become truly soft, and the typical sweet flavor only develops after a longer cooking time.