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.

A Delicious Beef Stew

I have always had a love for a good beef stew.  We both enjoy a good beef daube, but it is not a time saver and does take some care until it is brought to the table.  So when I saw Penny at Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen  post a Skillet Beef in Wine, I knew I had to try it.  It is almost the same recipe except for a more tender cut of beef and no bacon or Cognac is added.

We followed the recipe exactly and it was so delicious!!!  Perhaps next time we will experiment a little more, start out with some bacon, maybe pearl onions, dash of tomato paste, rosemary and bay leaf.  A shot of Cognac or brandy would be a nice addition also.

Sounds like we are getting back to the original daube recipe such as Dorie Greenspan claims is her "to go to" recipe.  I am fortunate that The Trout likes to use the knife and he does a great job with slicing and chopping.  With all that done in advance, this stew comes together quickly.

Without a doubt, you will not go wrong with Penny's Skillet Beef in Wine.

Skillet Beef in Wine
  from Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

1 1/2 pounds boneless sirloin steak
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 onion chopped
1 pound red potatoes cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 con low sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup red wine

Cut the steak into 1-inch cubes.  Coat a large nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon oil and place over medium-high heat until hot.  Add steak cubes and cook 4 minutes or until steak loses its pink color and is browned on all sides.  Remove steak cubes to a platter and drain the skillet well.

Re-coat the skillet with 1 tablespoon oil.  Place over medium-high heat until hot.  Add carrot, mushrooms, onion and potatoes; saute 5 minutes.  Return steak to skillet.  Add thyme, salt, pepper and beef broth and stir well.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 50 minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Place flour in a small bowl and gradually add wine, blending with a whisk.  Add to steak mixture and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes for until thick and bubbly, stirring occasionally.  Add 1 tablespoon butter at this time to add some gloss and richness to the stew.

Mushroom and Barley Soup

When I saw Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  I knew immediately we would love this soup.  And we did!!  She found it in the Chicago Tribune, and I remember my grandmother's sister always found the best recipes in the Tribune.  This rated right up there at the top.

She made a few changes to the original, and I followed Pam's suggestions to the T.  I know this soup will be made often.  The only change I made was using the dried mushrooms I had on hand.  Last fall I bought an 8 oz. container of gourmet mushroom blend at Costco.  I have used it often and love the combination of mushrooms....morels, porcini, Brazilian caps, ivory portabella, shiitake and oyster mushrooms.  They worked beautifully in this soup and this is a much less expensive way to buy dried mushrooms.

Mushroom and Barley Soup
  from Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner


1 package (1 ounce) dried porcini mushrooms  (I used about 1 cup of my mixed blend)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound button mushrooms (I used baby portabellas)
8 cups beef stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 cup pearl barley
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Sale and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley for garnish

Method:

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl.  Cover with 2 cups of boiling water.  Soak, submerged with a small plate for 20 minutes.  Squeeze liquid from the mushrooms and reserve the water.  Slice the mushrooms.

Slice the fresh mushrooms.  Warm oil in a large soup pot and set over medium-high heat.  Add shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant and translucent, about 2 minutes.  Remove shallots mixture to a small bowl and set aside.

Add fresh mushrooms to the pot and cook until their liquid releases, about 5-8 minutes.  Stir in shallot and garlic mixture, beef stock, thyme, reserved mushroom liquid and reconstituted mushrooms.  Add Montreal Steak Seasoning and heat to a boil.

Stir in barley, reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook, partially covered until barley is tender, about 40 minutes.  Stir in balsamic vinegar.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 5 minutes.  Top with parsley and serve.

6 servings

Be sure to have some great crusty bread to go along with this great soup.  Thanks, Pam.

P.S.  I just want to add a comment about the great job that blogger is doing keeping Spam off my blog.  Today, it caught some foreign language trying to add a comment to my blog anonymously, 6 times.  I do not have the extra security code on my comments as I feel it is a waste of time for those commenting and not necessary.  Blogger does a great job all by itself.  Thanks.

Butternut Squash Soup...very tasty

For the last week, I have been searching for a butternut squash soup recipe.  I wanted something tasty, simple and simple.  I saw all kinds that were very intriguing.  Adding curry, different spices, etc.  Then this morning I woke up and told the Trout that I wanted butternut squash soup for dinner.

So, we were off to the farmer's market and there sat a very large butternut squash for $1.50.  What is not to love.  In fact, we only used about 1/2 of it for this soup.  Now I need to find something to do with the rest.

The recipe I used from Whole Foods Market was excellent.  Simple, as I wanted, but extremely tasty.  What you do not see in the picture is me dipping my warm, crusty bread into the soup and getting every last drop out of the bottom of the bowl.

Actually, as we were preparing it in the kitchen....the Trout is definitely the chopper and dicer, I started thinking that maybe this will be too bland.  Nah....not at all.  If you want a simple but great tasting soup that will be on the table with only 30 minutes of cooking.....look no further.  Enjoy.

Classic Butternut Squash Soup
  from Whole Foods Market

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cups diced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2/3 cups diced onion
4 cups cubed butternut squash
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
seat salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.  Add carrot, celery, and onion.  Cook until the vegetables have begun to soften and the onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the butternut squash and thyme.  Stir to combine with vegetables.  Stir in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to puree soup.  Alternatively, carefully puree soup in batches in a traditional blender.  (CAUTION: do not put the lid on tight without leaving an opening for steam to escape)  Don't ask for reasons...just believe.

A butternut squash is difficult to prepare.  Use a carrot peeler to get the skin off the squash and go deep enough to remove all the light yellow colors.  They will be stringy otherwise.  It will not be too difficult then to cut in half, remove the seeds and then cube in uniform sizes.

By the way, the immersion blender is on my wish list!!!

Herbed White Bean and Sausage Stew

We finished a long but good week at Disney.  We volunteered for the Children's Miracle Network golf classic and worked 6 days and several of those were 12-hour days.  It was all for a good cause and we worked with the same crew for the last four years.  It is kind of like a reunion week for all of us.

So, now it is time to get back in the saddle and start preparing for the holidays.  Oh, yes, except for the one more interruption.  We are also volunteering at the LPGA golf classic the first weekend in December. 

The Trout found this recipe a couple of weeks ago in the NY Times.  I was surprised how quickly it came together and no, don't soak the dried beans overnight.  They cook up nicely in 2 hours.  The addition of the balsamic vinegar at the end seemed odd, but we liked it and even added more to the bowl.  A nice touch. 

Herbed White Bean and Sausage Stew
Time 2 1/2 hours    from the NY Times

2 tablespoons olive oil, more for serving
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced 3/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon tomato paste (Be sure to try the tomato paste in a tube.  So convenient)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 medium carrots, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound dried Great Northern Beans, rinsed and picked through
8 cups water
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
2 thyme sprigs
1 large rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, more for serving
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and brown until cooked through, about 7 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Add the tomato paste and cumin to the pot.  Cook, stirring until golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic.  Cook, stirring until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the beans, 8 cups water, salt, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf.  Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil.  Then reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the beans are tender, about 2 hours, adding more water if needed to make sure the beans remain submerged.

When the beans are tender, return the sausage to the pot.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in the vinegar and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Ladle into warm bowls and serve drizzled with additional vinegar and olive oil.

Yield:  6-8 servings

Clam Chowder to Wish For

We had a long day.  We got up at 4:10 a.m. and by 4:30 we were on the road to Disney.  By the time we got there and were at our work station, it was 5:45 a.m.  After a very busy day and lots of fun, we got home by 4:15 p.m. 

Plans were made ahead that tonight we would 'whip' together Mary's "Clam Chowder for Two".  I know a lot of you know Mary of ONE PERFECT BITE.  If not, please stop by her blog because she is the ultimate chef with a multitude of recipes that you will want to try.

Clam Chowder for Two
from Mary at One Perfect Bite

2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams ( For an added bonus, we added quite a few fresh shrimp)
1 (8 ounce) bottle clam juice
Water, if necessary
2 slices thick cut bacon cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 clove minced garlic (perhaps a bit more)
1 tablespoon unbleached flour
2 large red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, or perhaps more
1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Drain clams, reserving juices.  Add bottled clam juice to reserved clam juice to measure 2 1/2 cups.  If short, add water.
Cook bacon in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat until beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes.  Stir in onion and cook until onion has softened and bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes.
Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in flour and coat vegetables, and gradually whisk in clam juice.  Stir in potatoes, bay leaf and thyme.  Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Stir in clams, cream and parsley.  Return to a simmer and then remove from heat.  Discard bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.  Yield:  2 servings.

Red Lentil Soup

I saw these beautiful red lentils at Whole Foods a few weeks ago and just had to buy them.  And then, the dilemma of how best to prepare them.  So, I emailed my blogger friend, Nizrine, a beautiful lady living in Florida, with a background of growing up in Morocco.  Please visit Nizrine at "Dinners and Dreams" to learn more about her.

Nizrine's suggestion was her Red Lentil Soup which we prepared this evening.  It is cold here, 64 degrees high today.  I know, I know, I shouldn't even mention this.  But, let's just say this soup was very good, hit the spot this evening and will be made often.

Red Lentil Soup
from Nizine Merzouki

4 servings

3 sausages of your choice, removed from casing
1 medium red onion, grated (we elected to simply cut finely)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 cup tomato puree
5 cups vegetable broth
1 jalapeno (since we are Norwegian and German, we opted for 1/2 jalapeno ;)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium soup pot, saute the sausage, red onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the lentils, tomato puree, vegetable broth and jalapeno.  Season the soup with cumin, salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.

Spicy Chicken Soup--Round 2

Every time I make this wonderful soup, I am reminded that I should make it more. Blogger friends Dustye and Chris shared this recipe with us last year. It is a simple recipe, a very good recipe, and it should be made more often.

We woke up to a dusting of snow this morning in the mountains. I believe it was 31 degrees during the night. It all disappeared by 9 a.m., but it did stay below 50 all day. So, this soup with just what the doctor ordered.

I will link you back to my previous post of this soup and recommend you try it. It is excellent, especially when the weather gets a little colder.

The link to my previous post is here.

Beef and Barley Soup

After reading Cathy's post on Wives with Knives featuring all her soups, I knew today was the day to make a big pot of Beef Barley Soup. It turned out great and was good and hot. I kind of emptied the refrigerator including throwing in some frozen peas. Today was rather cool in Florida, again. I know you have heard this a lot, but it is so strange for Florida weather.

This satisfied us for dinner tonight and there will be enough for dinner tomorrow.

Lentil Soup - Linsensuppe

One of the comfort foods of my childhood is Linsensuppe or Lentil Soup. My mother was an excellent cook (she cooked in a restaurant for many years) but she never wrote any recipes down. This is how I remember her lentil soup and it takes pretty close to the original.

Linsensuppe - Lentil Soup

1 cup lentils
8 cups water or stock
1 potato, diced
2 carrots, diced or sliced
2 ribs celery, diced or sliced
1 onion, minced
1 pound bratwurst
salt to taste

I don't feel that the lentils needs soaking since they are so small. I boil in the water for about 10 minutes. Then add the vegetables and continue simmering for about 20 minutes.

I take the bratwurst and remove the casing and make small meatballs and brown in a skillet. I believe it is also possible to simply boil the brats in the soup and then when done, remove the casing and slice into small bites and return to the soup. I like the taste and looks of the browned meatballs.

I then add the browned meatballs to the soup and continue simmering for another 10-15 minutes.

My mother would not approve of the shape of my meatballs because I am not a perfectionist when it comes to this task. But, they will taste the same. Unfortunately, I do not have the bratwurst I grew up with. In fact, I even like my childhood bratwurst better than what I can find in Germany. The Amana Meat Shop in Amana, Iowa, makes fantastic brats, but for today, I used Johnsonville which comes in a close second.

Spicy Chicken Soup

While in Montana this summer, The Trout and I had the privilege of meeting two new blogging friends, Chris from Knitting Mania and Dustye from Dustye's Kitchen, who are both from California. Chris and Dustye talked about this fantastic soup recipe they can gotten from a friend. It was our luck to be invited to Chris and Pat's for dinner before we left to drive back to Florida.

We loved this soup immediately. So, with leftover turkey in the refrigerator, we both thought that this soup would be perfect. Besides, it was a cool but comfortable day in Florida today. It is easy, different and everyone seems to love it. So thanks, Chris, thanks Dustye, and I hope you don't mind me sharing with the blog world. All the credit goes to you.

Spicy Chicken Soup


1 whole cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken works great)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cans chicken broth
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (original) Use more if you want more heat
chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tablespoon cumin
chopped avocado
sour cream
small package corn tortillas

Saute all veggies in olive oil. Add broth, tomatoes, shred the chicken and add to the soup, cumin and pepper to taste. Bring to a good boil. Add 6 chopped corn tortillas which will melt in hot broth and slightly thicken soup.

Boil at least 20 minutes. Simmering for at least an hour is better and it even tastes better the next day.

How to serve:

Place a small amount of chopped cilantro and avocado in bottom of bowl and add hot soup. Sprinkle with your favorite shredded cheese and a drop or two of sour cream.

Another option would be to fry up strips of corn tortillas until crunchy and sprinkle on top.