On the first Monday of each month, Patriots from Mid-Missouri gather in Fulton for dinner and a meeting of discussion and fellowship. Last evening I was tasked with the supper preparation. I was fresh out of loaves and fishes with which to feed the multitude so I decided on two of my favorites, Sauerkraut Soup and Goulash Soup.

Both are hearty and delicious but most people  turn up their noses and make sounds of disgust when they hear the you're havin' Kraut soup. And can you blame them when their first experience with kraut was the awful brown mess with the weenies that they served in the school cafeterias. So . . . like the Liberal Left, if you are not having much luck with a program, just change the name, and we had German Potato Soup.

Deutsche Kartoffelsuppe

 German Potato Soup or Sauerkraut Soup

·       1/4 lb. good bacon

·       1 med. Yellow Onion, finely chopped

·       4 cups strong chicken juice

·       2 cups water or milk, your choice

·       4 Russet potatoes. peeled and diced

·        1 carrot, shredded

·       1/2 tsp. thyme

·       1/2 tsp. marjoram

·       1 - 16 oz. can sauerkraut

·       1/2 pint of cream to finish, or more to taset

·       salt and white pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1.   Cut bacon into small bits and fry a heavy pot until brown. Remove bits, they'll come back later.

2.   Dump the can of Kraut into a sieve and rinse with cold water, leave to drain.

3.   Add the Onions to the Bacon grease and sauté until translucent. Add a wad of butter if needed.

4.   Add the potatoes to the onions and cover with enough chicken stock to cover and cook until tender enough to mash.

5.   Mash the potatoes and add the rest of the chicken juice, milk, Bacon bits, thyme and marjoram and bring to a low boil.

6.   Add the rinsed Kraut and the shredded Carrots and continue to simmer until the carrots are tender

7.   Salt and White pepper to taste

8.   Finish with cream and garnish with chopped parsley.

An excellent accompaniment to this tasty soup is buttered Rye bread. A stein of cold German beer might please some too.

 

Hungarian Goulash Soup

This most famous of Hungarian dishes, correctly named gulyas soup, is not a stew. It is best made in advance and served reheated with fresh crusty bread, butter and chopped hot Hungarian yellow peppers as a fiery condiment.

·       5 cloves garlic, minced

·       large Spanish Onion, finely chopped

·       3 Tbsp. Bacon fat or Lard

·       2 -1/4  Sirloin, cut into 1'' or smaller cubes

·       1/4 cup flour

·       2 tsp salt

·       2 1/2 tsp Paprika

·       1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

·       1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

·       can of whole tomatoes, cut up

·       4 cups rich beef stock. (Note: Start with 6 cups and reduce down to 4 cups)

·       Csipetke (recipe follows)

Preparation:

1.   In a large pot over medium-low heat sauté the onions and garlic in the bacon fat until golden brown. Remove from pan with slotted spoon.

2.   Increase heat to medium.

3.   Dredge the meat in the flour and sear on all sides until slightly brown

4.   Return onions and garlic to pot, add salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook for a few minutes more.

5.   Add the bell pepper and beef stock, lower heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hour adding more beef stock if necessary.

6.   Add the Csipetke and cook an additional 5 minutes.  

Csipetke

Csipetke - pronounced chee-pet-heh - means "little pinches of dough" and they are exactly that.

·       6 Tbsp flour

·       1 egg

Combine  the flour and egg to make a thick and pasty dough. Roll it out into thin strips. Pinch off pea-sized pieces. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and drop in the dough pinches and cook until they rise to the top. Drain. Add to the goulash.

Or you could do like I did, considering time and all. Serve your Goulash with Spaetzle or buttered Egg noodles.