Monday, January 7, 2013

Jaeger Suppe - Beef Soup



One recipe that I repeat every winter is this one, Jaeger Suppe.  It tastes very similar to what we often ate in Germany when we lived there.  It is simple to put together and I have changed the original in several ways.

The original recipe was a $15,000 winner in a National Beef Contest cook off in 1992.  The winner was from Minneapolis and the recipe was printed in the Minneapolis newspaper back in that year.  I hope you will get out your large pot and enjoy this German flavor soup.  By the way, Jaeger means "hunter" in German.  Venison would be a perfect meat to substitute for the beef.  I also added mushrooms because that just sounds more hunter-like to me.  Enjoy.

Jaeger Suppe  - Hunter's Soup

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large, sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 pounds top sirloin beef butt steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cans (28 ounces each) tomatoes with juice
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup white wine
3-4  cups beef stock
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
Sliced crimini mushrooms...as many as you like
3 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed between your palms
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 whole bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

12 ounces light dairy sour cream or yogurt for garnish
Fresh minced parsley for garnish

In large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat oil.  Brown beef on all sides.  Remove from pot.  Cook onion, garlic and green pepper for about 5 minutes, or until softened.  Add the beef back into the pot and add the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.  Remove bay leaves. Ladle soup into a large bowl.  Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.  Sprinkle with fresh minced parsley.  Serve with light or dark rye bread.


17 comments:

  1. Susan this looks fingerlicking good - I adore everything with caraway seeds in it!

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  2. That's a hearty soup! We've been eating lots of soup these days.

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  3. I love the ingredients in this Susan. caraway seeds and paprika make it really special.

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  4. This sounds like the real thing as I remember it, Susan. I would add mushrooms too because all the Jaeger dishes in 'our' part of Germany include them.

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  5. Susan, I love all the ingredients! and can almost taste it. But, lol, what would happen if I deleted the tomato paste? (paste often tears me up a bit).

    Happy New Year!

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  6. Diana, leave it out. It all comes together in the end.

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  7. Being a true German, I know I will love this Susan, it sounds wonderful.

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  8. Sounds really good Susan.

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  9. I love the addition of the mushrooms in this delicious, hearty soup!

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  10. Susan, I'm taking the beef out to thaw and heading to grocery store to round out what is needed to make this delicious looking soup/stew.

    Who knew reading could make a person so hungry?

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  11. Sounds delicious and I've been eating more soup lately...It looks like Hungarian Gulyás Leves, but would taste much different, I think. I'll have to try this too.

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  12. Yum, one of my favorite soups. Love your phrase about the mushrooms - "add as many as you like." My kind of measurements :)
    Sam

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  13. A perfect winter's day recipe! I love the idea of the caraway seeds and white wine. Look forward to trying this one! Thank you! blessings ~ tanna

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  14. Bet this is good. My Antivirus is saying your blog is a threat!!!!! Keep well Diane

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  15. Great sounding soup - I can understand why you make it every year. I've been thinking soup lately....

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  16. Hi Susan - A big (and I do mean big) pot of this soup is simmering on my stove right now. It's so wonderful...it smells like home to me. We call it goulash soup and I love your addition of the mushrooms. I'm going to make it that way from now on!

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  17. What an amazing sounding soup! Perfect to stave off the winter's chill...in a most delicious way!!!

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