Romanian potato and sausage ciorbă

Ingredients

• 500 g potatoes
• 1500 ml water
• 1 small onion (70 g)
• 1/4 red bell pepper (40 g)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons vegetable paste
• 1 smoked sausage (200 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 pickled hot pepper
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream (240 ml)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pickle vinegar

Preparation

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes about 2 cm across. Finely chop the onion and bell pepper, then slice the sausage. 2. Put the potatoes in a pot with 1500 ml cold water and add the onion, bell pepper, bay leaf, vegetable paste, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Bring to a boil, then add the sausage and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes soften. 3. Add the pickled hot pepper. In a bowl, mix the sour cream with the flour and gradually stir in a few spoonfuls of hot soup. 4. Pour the mixture into the pot and stir. Add one tablespoon of vinegar and one tablespoon of pickle vinegar, then let the soup simmer gently for another 2 minutes. Serve with hot pepper, to taste.