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White Bean Soup (Weiβe Bohnensuppe)

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Ingredients:

  • 600 g (21.16 oz) of dried white beans
  • 1 ½ l (1.58 quarts) of cold water
  • 150 g (5.29 oz) of diced celery stalks
  • 200 g (7.05 oz) of diced carrots
  • 200 g (7.05 oz) of diced vidalia onions
  • 200 g (7.05 oz) of black forest bacon (OR)your choice of bacon
  • 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
  • 2 cubes of Knorr Beef Bouillon (OR) Korr Vegetable Bouillon
  • 3–4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (optional)
  • Leaves from 2–3 stems of fresh thyme
  • ½ teaspoon of paprika
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Preparation:

Start by washing the beans and placing them in a bowl. Fill the bowl with the water and let it soak overnight. (The beans should be covered with the water). Heat up the oil in a large saucepan. Add the diced bacon to it. When the fat starts to melt, add in the diced onions and diced cloves of garlic. Fry until the ingredients turn a light golden color. Next, add in the tomato paste and mix. Pour in the beans with the water. The water should be about an inch above the beans. (NOTE: The water used to soak the beans will be less because of absorption.)

Wash the thyme and add its leaves to the soup. (The easiest way to separate the leaves from the stem is by striping them from top to bottom—going against the grain.) Crumble the bouillon cubes and add it to the soup along with the paprika. Mix all the ingredients together. Cover the saucepan and let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours on medium high. Make sure to check on the soup from time to time and fill it up with water, if necessary. The beans should always be submerged in water. In the meantime, peel the carrots and cut them in thin slices. Wash the celery stalks and dice them.

After 1 1/2 hours cooking time, add the diced carrots and celery to the soup. Cook for another 30 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper to your liking. If you would like, the soup can be served with some cooked sausages and served with a side of bread. DONE! (For a smaller portion, you can easily divide the recipe and only use half the ingredients.)

Beef Soup with Bone Marrow Dumplings (Rindfleischsuppe mit Markklöβchen)

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Ingredients for broth:

  • 4 l (1 gal) of water
  • 2270 g (5 lbs) brisket first or mid cut
  • 400 g (14 oz) of leeks
  • 150 g (5.3 oz) of carrots
  • 150 g (5.3 oz) of tomatoes
  • 80 g (2.8 oz) of parsley
  • 80 g + 50 g (2.8 oz) of celery root
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • Maggi seasoning
  • salt
  • pepper

Ingredients for soup extras:

  • 150 g (5.3 oz) of carrots
  • 50 g (1.8 oz) of celery root
  • 150 g (5.3 oz) of leeks
  • Angel hair pasta (optional)
  • Bone marrow dumplings (click here for recipe)

Preparation:

Rinse the meat under running water and dry with a paper kitchen towel. Fill a large pan with cold water and add two teaspoons of salt to it. Place the meat with the fat side down in the water and bring it to boil uncovered. Wash the tomatoes, parsley, and the leeks (cut them lengthwise in the center, so that you can easily get in between the leaves where dirt is often hidden). Peel the carrots and celery with a potato peeler. Cut the vegetables in chunks and add to the soup. Once the soup starts to boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Next, turn the meat with the fat side up and let the soup cook uncovered on low for another 2 1/2 – 3 hours (depending on how you prefer your meat). From time to time, check if any water has evaporated. If so, refill so that the meat is always covered with water.

[Click pictures to enlarge.]

Preparation of soup extras:

In the meantime, prepare the additional elements of your soup. Peel another 150 g (5.3 oz) of carrots, 50 g (1.8) oz of celery root. Wash about 150 g (5.3 oz) of leek leaves. Dice the vegetables in small pieces. Add some salt to a pan with water and cook the vegetables for about 15 minutes. In another pan, bring salted water to a boil and cook the fine noodles as described on the package. Drain the pasta and vegetables in a colander and then place aside in a bowl. Prepare the bone marrow dumplings as described (click here for recipe) and put them aside.

After the soup has cooked for approximately 3 – 3 1/2 hours, take the meat out and place it on a plate. Remove the fat and let it rest. Pour the soup through a sieve and into another pan, so that only the liquid remains. You should have about 3 l (3.2) quarts of broth. If it is less, fill up with water. (Don’t use the vegetables cooked in the broth.) Add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the broth and bring it back to a boil. Add the cooked diced vegetable to it. Add the bone marrow dumpling to the boiling broth and turn down the heat. The dumplings are ready when they float to the surface (about 10 minutes). Season your soup with some pepper and Maggi, a German liquid seasoning that you can find in the international section of your grocery store or on Amazon.

You can either add the noodles to your soup or set them on the table in a separate bowl for your guests to serve themselves. My personal rule is: If I have dumplings in the soup, I serve the noodles in a separate bowl. If I didn’t make dumplings, I add the noodles to the soup in the pan. Finally, slice the meat with a sharp knife or an electrical knife. (For a smaller amount of soup divide the ingredients).

Your soup is now ready to be served with the meat and the noodles. Accompany this meal with a fresh loaf of bread, or try Oma’s baguette. You could also serve the meat with Oma’s homemade horseradish sauce, savoy cabbage and potatoes and use the soup as an appetizer.

Goulash Soup with Venison or Beef (Gulaschsuppe mit Wild)

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Ingredients for Marinade:

  • 1000 g (2.2 lbs) venison roast or beef roast (if pre-cut, make sure the cubes aren’t too big)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of thyme
  • 8 juniper berries
  • 946 ml (32 oz) of buttermilk
  • 500 ml (17 oz) of red wine

Ingredients for Soup:

  • 100 g (3.5 oz) pork fat (OR) lard
  • 822 g (29 oz) of tomato sauce (canned)
  • 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
  • 3 teaspoons of salt
  • ½ teaspoon of paprika
  • 100 g (3.5 oz) of carrots
  • 500 g (17.5 oz) of onions
  • 1 jalapeño pepper
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 ½ l (1.5 quarts) of water
  • 6 fresh peppers (in a variety of colors)
  • 2 tablespoons of red wine
  • 3 tablespoons of crème fraîche (OR) sour cream
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of sugar

Preparation for marinade:

With a whisk, mix the red wine and buttermilk together. Add in bay leaves, thyme, and juniper berries. Cut your meat into small cubes and add them in the marinade. The meat should be completely covered in the liquid. Marinate it in the refrigerator overnight.

Preparation for Soup:

Remove the meat out of the marinade and dry the meat cubes with a paper kitchen towel. Cut the pork fat in small pieces and fry it in a pan until the fat has melted. Remove any leftover greaves. Cut the onions in stripes, press the cloves of garlic through a garlic press and fry both in the fat until they become transparent. (NOTE: The melted cooking fat can be substituted with 3 tablespoons of oil, if preferred.) Add in the dried meat cubes and fry. When the meat has browned, add in the diced peppers, the sliced carrots, and chopped jalapeño pepper. Mix it all and let it cook (while stirring from time to time) for about 10 minutes.

To create the soup, add the canned tomatoes and water. Add salt, paprika, and caraway seeds and stir. Turn the heat down to medium and let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours.

[Click on pictures to enlarge.]

After your soup has cooked for the recommended time, add in the red wine, sugar, and crème fraîche. Stir the soup until the crème fraîche has dissolved. Taste the soup before you add any seasoning. If you prefer to have your soup less thick, just mix in a little more water. DONE!