This recipe is a modern attempt to recreate a dish typical for most German tables in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Known in standard German as Wurstbrühe or “Sausage Soup,” the soup was prepared using the leftover broth from sausage cooking. On feast days, in particular, giant pots would be made of this soup and then served to the community. Even until the 1950s, sausage broth was available at most butcher shops. Today though, this dish remains alive primarily in Swabia and the Upper Rhine. This recipe is a hearty meat stew from the Palatinate, attempting to recreate the traditional flavors.
Sausage Broth Soup (Pfälzer Metzelsuppe)
This recipe from the Palatinate for Metzelsuppe or Sausage Soup is a hearty meat stew made with sausage broth. This version uses the characteristics of liver and blood sausage to form a rich and hearty soup.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 L Sausage Broth Sausage broth is essentially a weak meat broth with spices leftover from the sausage production. You can substitute with any broth, including vegetable broth.
- 250 g Non-smoked blood sausage
- 250 g Leberwurst / Liverwurst Sausage
- 2 Large Onions
- 1 tbsp Pork Fat for frying
- 1 tbsp Thyme
- 1 tbsp Oregano
- Salt How much depends on the salinity of the broth you are using.
- Pepper
Instructions
- Bring the broth to a boil, and let simmer until the volume has been reduced by half. This should intensify the flavors of the sausage broth.
- Chop the onion and peel the two sausages.
- Fry the onion over medium-high heat until the moisture is gone and the onions have turned golden brown.
- In the meantime, break up the sausage with a fork, mashing down on them to loosen them into a paste-like consistency.
- Add the sausages, spices, and herbs to the onion mixture and fry for about 15 minutes. This will break down the binding agents in the meat, and it should become a thick paste.
- Finally, add the meat and onion mixture to the simmering broth and let cook together for another 30 minutes.
- Salt to taste and serve with toasted bread.