Caraway soup with egg

For the caraway soup, first melt the butter in a pot and stir in the ground caraway. Toast it briefly. A few dozen seconds over low heat are enough, until it smells lovely and turns lightly golden. It is the toasted caraway that releases the aroma giving the finished soup its typical grandma-style character.

Dust the buttery caraway with the plain flour. Stirring constantly with a whisk, let the pale roux bubble for a moment so the flour binds with the fat. The roux should turn only lightly golden, not dark. If you like a bolder flavour, drop in a pressed clove of garlic now and let it sizzle briefly with the roux.

Gradually pour the vegetable broth into the roux, stirring all the time with a spoon or whisk so no lumps form. Then bring everything to a boil. Over low heat let the pot simmer quietly for about 8 minutes, until it thickens slightly and the flavours come together nicely. Finally season with salt and pepper to taste.

Beat the eggs with a fork in a bowl. Stirring constantly, pour them into the pot in a thin stream so delicate ribbons form. Let them set for a minute away from a rolling boil so they stay tender. Ladle the finished soup into bowls and sprinkle with chopped chives.