Green Bean Soup ( Mennonite Style )



My Green Bean Soup - Mennonite Style



1-2 pounds smoked ham - with bone is fine
( smoked farmer sausage can be substituted for the smoked ham )
8 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 cups cut green beans
3 medium carrots, cut up finely
1 cup green peas
2 medium potatoes, cut up finely
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 large bay leaves
small bunch of parsley, cut fine
sprig of summer savory or 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 cup heavy cream

In large soup pot, place the ham and water. Boil gently for 3/4 hour. Skim off any scum. Then add the onion,  vegetables, salt, pepper, bay leaves, parsley, and either thyme or summer savory. Continue to boil the soup gently for 1 hour until the vegetables are fully cooked. Check to see if you need to add a little more water as the soup boils. Remove ham bone, bay leaves, and sprig of summer savory. Add cream to soup. Serve and enjoy!

Sister Annie's Cabbage Borscht

Note: This is a very good soup!

1 chicken leg
1/2 pot of water
1/2 an onion
pinch of garlic powder
1/2 head of cabbage
parsley
1 teaspoon dill seed
1 teaspoon black pepper kernels
tomatoes ( 1 or 2 )
aniseed
1 cinnamon stick or a bit of ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons chicken in a mug
1/4 cup salsa
1 potato
a drop of tabasco
1 can tomato soup
1 can stewed tomatoes

Boil one chicken leg in dutch oven pot until tender. Strain. Pour broth into pot and add water to fill it up to 2/3. Saute onion and garlic powder and add to soup broth. In spice container, put dill seed, pepper kernels, aniseed and parsley. Add to soup pot. Add remaining ingredients. Boil gently ( simmer ) for 1 hour. Serve.

Komst Borscht ( Cabbage Borscht )

1 pound smoked farmer sausage, or smoked ham ( I have even used chicken breast sometimes for a milder flavor )
8 cups water
3 medium sized carrots, cut and sliced into small chunks
1 medium head of cabbage, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
2 cups finely cubed potato
2 teaspoons salt
2 large bayleaves
1/2 star aniseed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped dill green
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tin tomato soup, or 1 and 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup cream

In a large pot boil the meat with the water 30 minutes. Now add all the ingredients listed except the cream. Cook on stove top till very well done ( about 1 and 1/2 hours ). Add more water if needed. Remove bayleaves and aniseed. Add the cream. Serve.
* Note - you can not overcook this borscht but keep the heat low so it bubbles very gently and make sure there is sufficient water. If you have leftover soup, reheat and serve again the next day as the flavor will be very good.

Chicken Noodle Soup - Mennonite Style

1 small chicken cut up or 4-6 chicken legs
10 cups of water
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons salt
4 stars aniseed
5 bay leaves
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 package egg noodles or homemade noodles
Bring chicken and water to boil in large pot. Boil gently for 15 minutes. Now skim off foam. Add the bay leaves, chopped onion, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, ginger, cinnamon and the stars aniseed in a spice holder. Boil for 45 - 50 minutes. In a separage pot boil egg noodles according to package instructions. Remove bay leaves and aniseed from soup. To serve - place desired amount of noodles in a soup bowl, add some of the cooked chicken meat and soup broth.  Delicious every time!


Egg Noodles
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
3 cups flour ( more or less as needed)
Combine eggs, salt and milk in a bowl. Combine with wire whisk. Using wooden spoon, now stir in flour slowly mixing as you go, then work in more flour using your hands to knead it in.  The dough should become very stiff, firm and hard. Sprinkle flour on counter generously. Roll out the dough very very thin using more flour as needed. Cut the dough into strips - about 3 inch wide strips. Allow to dry for 20 minutes. Now stack the strips of dough being generous with flour so nothing sticks. Cut crosswise into noodles. Sift the noodles to get rid of all the extra flour.
Bring water to boiling point in a large pot. Add the noodles stirring the noodles and boil for 8 minutes. Use in Chicken Noodle Soup - recipe above.

Somma Borscht - a Mennonite soup

6-8 cups water
1/2 pound smoked farmer sausage cut in slices or smoked ham
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Boil together in large pot for 30 minutes.
Now add 4 cups potato-cubes ( cut into small cubes)
2 cups chopped beet tops or green spinach
1 cup green onion, tops included
1/4 cup fresh green dill (packed)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
Boil for another 30 minutes. Now add 2 cups buttermilk and heat to just till boiling point. Remove bay leaves. Add a hint of cream. Serve with a slice of buttered bread on the side.