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Farmhouse Kitchen
Art Print
Chabrian, Deborah
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Good grief, are they SERIOUS?!?!?
9 October 2008

About 1/2 cup or so chopped bacon
(ends and pieces)
1 large onion, peeled, diced
1 large carrot, peeled, diced
1 large potato, peeled, diced
Approximately 2 cups chicken broth or
stock or water and 2 bouillon cubes
Two 28-ounce can white beans
Black pepper to taste

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot or kettle or Dutch oven, sauté the bacon in
a little oil (unless you have leftover bacon grease, which my mother-in-law
always did...) until it is just starting to get crisp. Add the diced onion and
continue to sauté, stirring. When the onion is tender, add the diced carrot
and potato and cover with about 2 cups chicken broth or stock or water
and bouillon cubes. Stir to blend, cover, bring to a boil, and stir again.
Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, then cook until carrots and potatoes
are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Add the beans with their liquid and some
black pepper to taste. Continue to cook, covered, over low heat at least
long enough to heat the beans through. The soup will be better if you let
it stand for an hour or so, then warm it up to serve. The magic ingredient,
in my opinion, is something I've not yet been able to find in the good ole
U S of A: Maggi Klarefleischbruehe mit Suppengruen. Believe me, this
stuff is a good cut above your everyday bouillon cubes, but just do the
best you can with what you have. People always love this soup!

And while we're talking Old-Country soup, let me just throw in another
mother-in-law standby. Mama Mizzi called this one

Rennfahrer Suppe

Rough translation is Racer Soup. Race-car-driver soup, if
you will. That is to say that this soup can be made in a flash.

Hamburger (even for a lot of soup, you
won't need much, maybe a pound or so)
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
A quart or more of chicken broth or stock or
water and 4 bouillon cubes
Large package frozen soup vegetables*
Pasta of your choice, such as small
shells or rotelle, about 1/2 cup
Minced parsley or herbs of your choice

* Readily available in Germany. Any combination of
vegetables that appeals to you will do nicely.

That's it! Just sauté the meat in a bit of oil, add the diced onion and
carrot, sauté a bit more, then add the cabbage and broth, stir, and
cover. Bring soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer
and cook just until the carrot is tender. Add the frozen vegetables,
stir, cover, and cook over low heat for another 15 minutes or so.
Check the seasoning and add salt and/or pepper if you like. Add the
 pasta, bring soup to a boil, and cook, uncovered, just until the pasta
is tender, 10-12 minutes.
You can imagine how much room for improvisation there is here. Make
it as soupy as you like (which I do), or as thick as you like. Use whatever vegetables you like. And spice it up as much as you want. The addition
of minced parsley and/or other fresh herbs is a great touch, especially if
you are fortunate enough to have an herb garden, which Mama Mizzi
always did. As a matter of fact, depending on the season, all the vege-
tables for this soup came from her garden, as did the roses on the table...

So where does that leave us? I'm not sure. As for me, I'm doing my best to hang
onto my optimism and economize as best I can. When items once considered
economical no longer seem so, my frustration mounts. I suppose I could remind
you of all the ways my grandmother used to economize in the kitchen - using less
expensive cuts of meat, for example. Braising less costly cuts would be a good
choice, as opposed to firing up the grill for steaks or opting for a "real" roast,
right? Well, yes and no. Short ribs are more economical than a prime rib roast,
for sure, but those short ribs are not exactly cheap these days! A soup bone,
 when you can get one, isn't cheap either. Go figure. You are probably much too
young to remember this, but I know there was a day when your friendly butcher
would toss in a soup bone for free. We'll just have to do the best we can...

That hold us for a while... at least until Thanksgiving! Be well, stay safe,
enjoy yourselves. Make the most of every day, be grateful for every breath
 you take. Live with passion! Give a hoot! And until next time, remember,

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into
enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order,
confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a
home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
~ Melody Beattie

"As you go through each day, are you mindful of the little blessings
God has given you? The air you breathe, the family you have, the
reliable car you drive. If you were to sit down and list all of the
blessings in your life, big and small, you would begin to cultivate
a thankful spirit. Today, look for blessings in unexpected places
and be sure to express your gratitude to our loving and gracious
Father in heaven."
~ Dr. David Jeremiah