GRANDMA K'S SOUP

This old-fashioned soup tastes as wonderful as it looks.  Enjoy!! 

If chicken soup is Jewish penicillin, then this soup was my Grandma's penicillin. Its rich, yet mild flavor, is very comforting. Although many herbs and other vegetables could be added to this soup, I make it just like my Grandma did.


She could buy a big soup bone with lots of meat on it at the corner market, but that is hard to find in today's supermarkets. I like to use slices of beef shanks. Beef neck bones, if available, are good too. Beef stew meat works well.  Oxtails are wonderful in this soup but have gotten very expensive, and are very fatty.  I am sure during The Depression just a soup bone with very little meat would have been used to make the broth.  I was shocked when I was at a big supermarket.  I picked up a package of marrow bones and it cost more than the package of shank meat I was buying. 


This soup is made in two stages.  First the broth is made and strained.  The meat from the broth is added to the strained broth as well as uncooked carrots and celery, rice and barley.  Making the broth first makes it possible to have the carrots and celery cooked just until done and not soggy.


GRANDMA K'S SOUP
This soup was frequently on our menu in the winter when I was growing up.  Mom or Grandma always made it if someone had been sick.  The soup is rich, yet mild, in flavor and tastes wonderfully like home and simpler times.


BROTH
At least 2 lbs. soup beef and bones
Large handful of celery leaves and 1 to 2 ribs of celery
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
1 onion, cut into chunks
About 2 1/2 qt. (10 c) cold water


SOUP
1 to 2 c diced carrots
1 to 2 c diced celery
1/4 c rice
1/2 c barley
Salt, to taste
Lowry's seasoned black pepper, to taste or fresh ground black pepper

Beef stew meat or/and shank meat, onions, celery, carrots, rice, barley, salt and pepper.  I had some stew meat in the freezer and I added that to the soup as Tom needs the nutrition from beef for his blood counts while he is on Chemo. 

In a large covered soup pot, simmer soup meat, celery and leaves, chunked carrot, onion and water until you have a nice rich broth and the meat is falling off the bones. Strain the broth through a sieve. The broth can now be refrigerated and the fat removed after it congeals on the top of the broth. Remove meat from the bones and add to broth. I give the celery, carrot onion mixture to the dog. To make soup, add diced carrots, celery, rice and barley to broth and meat. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender. Season to taste and serve with love.

To a large pot add beef.

Add celery and celery leaves.

Add coarsely chopped carrots.

Add a coarsely chopped onion.

Add 10 cups of cold water. 

Bring to just a boil and quickly reduce heat to simmer.  Cover.  If you want a very clear broth, skim off the brownish "scum".  I do not skim it off as it is water-soluble protein and therefore nutritious.  I just stir it into the soup.

Cook until you have a rich broth and the vegetables are mushy.

Refrigerate and then remove the fat from the top. 

I use a slotted spoon to remove the congealed fat.

Strain the broth.

Remove the meat to a cutting board.  Discard the vegetables from the broth.

Chop meat into bite-sized pieces.

Chop celery.

Chop carrots.

Measure out barley.

Measure out rice.

  

Add meat, carrots, celery, barley and rice to strained, de-fatted broth.

Simmer covered until the rice and barley are cooked, and the vegetables are tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  I like Lowry's Seasoned Pepper with this soup.

Oh soooooooo good especially on a cold, snowy day like today.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy old-fashioned goodness.

I LOVE THIS SOUP!!

METTWURST--DUTCH SAUSAGE IN WESTERN MICHIGAN

A "COMMENT" on my post about Dutch Stamppot from Karin who writes, http://dutchfood.about.com/ saying that in the Netherlands Mettwurst is a dried sausage and would not be served with Stamppot sent me on an adventure to discover what Metwurst is in Western Michigan.  I started on the Northwest side of Grand Rapids at 20th Century Market on Bridge Street where they have been making homemade sausages since 1907.  http://www.20thcenturymarket.com/

This Metwurst is homemade at the meat market.  Tom, owner of 20th Century, told me that the Dutch buy his Metwurst to make pea soup.

20th Century's Metwurst is a smoked sausage made with coarse ground meat.

To me, it has a taste of cloves in it.  It is moist and not a dry sausage.

From the Westside of Grand Rapids I headed to the Southwest side of Grandville where the VanderVeen's, http://www.thedutchstore.com/ , is located.  Their Mettwurst, spelled with two TT, is made by Tolman's Meat in Hudsonville, Michigan.  This is the Mettwurst that is used by the First United Methodist Church in Holland, Michigan when they serve their Dutch dinners.  It is served on the side with Stamppot or steamed and served in a bun for a quick snack rather than a dinner. 

It is a smoked sausage.

It is made with finer ground meat than 20th Century's and to me, has a sweet taste.  I did not pick up any particular spice taste.

From Grandville, I headed to Holland, Michigan to Montello Meat Market on Michigan St.  They do not make their own Mettwurst, although they do make homemade sausages, but sell Kowalski sausage made in a Polish area of Detroit.  The informative clerk told me that Dutch people buy it to serve with their "mash' of potatoes and that green stuff (kale).

 

This is also a smoked sausage.

It is the lightest colored one.

It is made with finely ground meats.  It has a frankfurter flavor with an after taste of allspice or cloves.  Casing was tough and needs to be removed before serving.

The three Mettwurst or Metwurst sausages from Western Michigan.  All were very tasty.  Enjoy!!!

INFORMATION FROM THE NETHERLANDS ABOUT STAMPPOT AND METTWURST

In July I posted a recipe for Dutch Stamppot.  I have brought the post forward because I received a very informative COMMENT from Karin who writes http://dutchfood.about.com/  , one of my favorite blogs. 


In Western Michigan, Mettwurst is considered the Dutch sausage.  My favorite sausage maker tells me that Mettwurst is German as is any sausage with "wurst" as part of its name.  However, he says the Dutch have adopted it as their own.  It is not part of my Michigan family experience.  My cousin, who lived with my Grandma from the Netherlands, says that Grandma made her pea soup with Mettwurst that she purchased in the '40's and '50's out in Tucson, Arizona.  It always amazes me that she had access to Mettwurst and herring that she pickled in Arizona. 


I am always so happy to hear from Karin as I have never had the privilege to travel to the Netherlands so my knowledge with from books and what I can learn here from immigrants and their families.  See Karin's COMMENT highlighted at the bottom of this post.


I decided after Karin's COMMENT to investigate Mettwurst in West Michigan.  Searching for information is my idea of fun.  The complete posting for Stamppot can be found at:   http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/07/dutch-boerenkool-stamppot-potatoes-and.html


The meatball recipe, Dutch Gehaktballen, can be found at:  http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/05/gehaktballen-dutch-meatballs.html


Saturday, July 10, 2010DUTCH BOERENKOOL STAMPPOT--POTATOES AND KALE


Stamppot is pure comfort food in the Netherlands. It is considered the most Dutch dish by anyone from the Netherlands or by Dutch-Americans like me. The meaning of Stamppot is “mash pot”. Cheap, hearty and filling, stamppot consists of potatoes and kale or other vegetables mashed together. My Grandma made it with potatoes and carrots. Every family has their own recipes for Stamppot. The following recipe is from the First United Methodist Church in Holland, Mi. They make huge quantities to sell during the Tulip Festival and Kestmarkt.

Potatoes and Kale with Gehaktballen—Dutch-style Meatballs and gravy. BOERENKOOL STAMPPOT is a good way to get vitamin-rich kale in your diet. Even if you don't care for kale, it is good in Stamppot.


Stamppot is usually a winter dish but with beautiful potatoes and kale at the Farmer’s Market and the World Cup Finals featuring the Netherlands and Spain, I think this summer day would be a good time for Stamppot too. Stamppot is usually served with a smoked pork sausages called rookworst or mettworst and gravy. It is also delicious with Gehaktballen—Dutch-style Meatballs which was posted on Michigan Cottage Cook on 5/6/10.


I am sure that in the Netherlands they would use butter in Stamppot as their dairy products are famous the world over. However the Dutch settlers here in Michigan embraced margarine. In all the the church and community cookbooks from this area, margarine is listed as an ingredient rather than butter. If I had to guess why, I would say it is because the Dutch are also famous for being frugal. I use butter!!


BOERENKOOL STAMPPOT--POTATOES AND KALE
3 ½ c fresh kale (1 ½ to 2 c canned)
5 potatoes
1 stick margarine or butter
½ T salt
Freshly ground black and white pepper
Rookworst, Metworst or Gehaktballen—Dutch-style Meatballs


Fresh Kale: Wash kale. Strip greens from stems, remove all hard parts and do not use yellow leaves. Place about 3-inches of water in the bottom of a pot. Add the kale, bring to hard boil then immediately reduce to simmer. Cook on low-medium heat until kale is tender. Stir occasionally. For the Potatoes: In another pot, boil or steam 5 medium potatoes until tender. When both vegetables are done, drain and mash potatoes together with the margarine, salt and pepper to taste. If using canned kale, add to potatoes while mashing. Use lots of freshly ground white and black pepper if you like spices. Serve with rookworst, metworst, a slightly smoky Dutch sausage, or Gehaktballen—Dutch-style Meatballs on the side. To warm rookworst or metworst, simmer in water or beer, or their combination.


Posted by Michigan Cottage Cook at 7/10/2010 03:47:00 PM 2 comments:


Anonymous said...


Hey there, Karin here. Metworst in a stamppot?? As far as I'm aware, 'metworst' is a dried sausage and I've never seen it used in stamppot. As for margarine (yuck!), I never use it, but many Dutch people cook with a liquid margarine called Croma. Mostly when they fry their meat or meatballs. However, here in Holland, most people would use real butter to enrich stamppot.
Mmm, boerenkool stamppot. I should make that again soon... Yum!


November 24, 2010 4:56 AM


Michigan Cottage Cook said...


Karin, you have hit on what has been a big mystery to me. Why did immigrants from a country famous for its dairy products embrace margarine like the Dutch-American here in West Michigan did? My family always used butter. However in all the church cookbooks I have collected that feature Dutch recipes, the recipe always calls for oleo-margarine and not butter. I agree with you, everything is better with butter.


Metworst is not a dried sausage in West Michigan. It can be eaten in a hot dog bun or sliced and served for dinner. I will gather some samples and put them on the blog for you.


So happy to hear from you. Have a very happy first Christmas together.

MOM'S SPAGHETTI--COMFORT FOOD FOR 5 GENERATIONS AND COUNTING

Is this Dutch, German, Midwestern?  Whatever it is, it is not Italian.  I called it Mom's Dutch spaghetti, pasta cooked all afternoon. The name was not important to my children.  It was always the first thing Mom's grandchildren wanted her to make when they visited her in Grand Haven.  This is the recipe our grand-daughter said she had to when she was only 4 years old.  My Grandpa didn't like red sauces but he like Mom's spaghetti.  I hope I get the chance to cook this for the sixth generation, my great-grandchildren 

Mom didn't know any Italians to tell her that pasta is served al dente, but she did know enough about good food to be very fussy about the brand of spaghetti she used. As a child, I can remember being sent to a particular corner market to get the special long spaghetti wrapped in dark blue paper that she liked. It was the only time anything was purchased from that store and I seemed to be the only one who went there.  I can't remember much about the store but it seemed poorly lite and dark with the spaghetti in its dark wrapping on the bottom shelf.

Today in the spirit of my Mom, we get our spaghetti at Fortino's in downtown Grand Haven.

It is wrapped in white paper and on the bottom shelf.

Doing these recipes for Michigan Cottage Cook is flooding my memory of being young and in the kitchen with my Mom and Grandma.  As clear as looking out the window at the snow falling is the memory of standing by the stove as Mom broke the long spaghetti into short pieces.  I asked her why she did and she replied that it is easier to eat that way. 


Professional chefs salt everything element that goes into the preparation of a dish.  I grew up in a household that was rather salt-free as my Grandma had heart trouble.  I don't add much salt as I cook preferring to add it to the finished dish on the plate where it is on top of the food and hits the tongue immediately.  However in making Mom's spaghetti I make an exception and salt as I go.  Mom babysat her spaghetti and fussed over it all afternoon. She achieved a flavor that is difficult to duplicate in our busy world. I have found that if I season the meat while I am cooking it, salt the water for the spaghetti and add the sugar to the tomatoes that it is easier to get closer to the wonderful flavor Mom’s spaghetti had.

Enjoy my Mom's gift to you.

What is tomato sauce?  It is hard to imagine today with the supermarket aisles filled with spaghetti sauces and pastas, the bookstores filled with books on Italian food, and the food channels filled with how to cook pasta dishes that in the 1950' and 1960's, Italian food was not common in the Midwest.  The following recipe from my Mom is what we ate for spaghetti.  In the middle 1960's, I was a junior in college and cooking a dinner for my apartment-mates.  The recipe called for 8-ounces of tomato sauce and I had no idea what tomato sauce was!!!  I used Heinz Chili Sauce, the chunky ketchup that is used for shrimp cocktail sauce.  It was the 1970's before I was in a real Italian restaurant and that was on The Hill in St. Louise with my dear friends Mike and Nelda.

What I used for tomato sauce before I learned what tomato sauce is.

Recently I was looking through an old church/community cookbook in an antique store.  There was a recipe for Baked Spaghetti.  Laurie of Grand Haven was looking for such a recipe.  I read down the list of ingredients and the spaghetti sauce was made with a cup of ketchup and a can of cream of mushroom soup.  My family was not the only one who didn't use tomato sauce.  


MOM'S SPAGHETTI
Our family comfort food which gets even better the second day.  You need a good quality spaghetti to stand up to the long cooking time.


1 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 to 2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 to 3 medium onions, chopped
1 (1lb.12oz.) can whole tomatoes, no seasonings except salt, crushed
2 cans tomato soup, undulated
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 T or more Worcestershire sauce
2 t sugar
(Sometimes I add a couple of cloves of garlic, minced. Mom never used garlic.)

Ingredients:  Good quality ground beef, spaghetti, tomato soup, whole tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, onions, sugar, salt and pepper.

The easiest way to prepare this is with an electric frying pan. Brown the ground beef, onions and garlic, if desired. Drain well.  Mix together the cooked spaghetti, browned meat and onions, stewed tomatoes, one can of tomato soup, a half soup can of spaghetti cooking water, sugar and Worcestershire sauce.  Simmer on low heat, stirring often.  Gradually add second can of soup and another half can of cooking water from spaghetti as the spaghetti simmers.  Mom would start this in the early afternoon and simmer it until supper time. 
 
IN A CROCK POT
Electric frying pans seem to have gone out of vogue so I cooked the Mom's Spaghetti in a slow cooker.

Add add the ingredients except second can of soup to a slow cooker.  Cook 1 hour on HIGH.  Reduce heat to LOW, stir in second can of soup and second half soup can of  spaghetti cooking water.  Cook for another 2 hours or more on LOW.  Must stir occasionally during the cooking time.

Brown meat in a skillet until no pink is left.  Drain.

Break spaghetti into pieces for easier eating.

Chop onions.

Saute in the pan that meat was cooked.

Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water according to package directions or until al dente.

Before draining, save some of the cooking water to use later.  This is one thing I learned from TV cooking programs.

Drain spaghetti.

Put cooked meat, cooked onions and salt in a slow cooker.

Add the juice from the canned whole tomatoes.

Crush the whole tomatoes with your hand.

Add crushed whole tomatoes to meat mixture.

Add one can of tomato soup and a half of a soup can of spaghetti cooking water.

Season with Worcestershire sauce.

Add sugar.

Mix in cooked spaghetti.

Mix well.

Cover slow cooker and cook for 1 hour on HIGH.

Reduce heat to LOW.  Add second can of tomato soup and half of a soup can of spaghetti cooking water.  Mix well.  Cook another two hours or more, stirring occasionally.

Before serving, remove a small amount and check for seasoning.  Add seasoning if necessary. 

Reday to serve.

Be comforted and enjoy!!!!

I FORGOT--LINK TO OUR DUTCH PEA SOUP--PURE COMFORT FOOD

This is the soup that is comforting us this week.  The Lake Effect snow machine has started up and the snow is piling up.  Lake Effect happens when the wind blows across a big body of open water picking up moisture all the way across the water.  When the moisture-laden air hits land, like here along the West Coast of Michigan, the air dumps out the moisture in the form of snow.  It is a snowy, gray day.  A great time for soup to comfort the body and Soul.


http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-familys-dutch-pea-soup.html

WHAT IS COMFORT TO YOU?

It is the January and all the frenetic rush of the holidays is over.  Although our weather here in Michigan has been strange as it was 50° and raining on New Year's Eve, we are entering the cold, dark days of winter.  I use to dread January and February.  The days are short, it is very cold, blizzards make the roads a mess, and the Great Lakes hold the clouds over Michigan so sunshine is very rare.  SAD, seasonal affected depression, is very common.  However, I have changed my thinking.  Instead of cursing the darkness and thinking that every day is a battle, I now think of this time of year as a time of renewal.  

Instead of rushing around, I slow down.  Slowing down is a very good thing to do on snowy roads and very good for mental health.  I try to do things that comfort me.  I try to take better care of myself because if I am healthy it is easier for me to take care of family and friends. I look inward and evaluate my thoughts.  Are they coming from the past?  Am I worried about the future?  Am I being negative?  Talking things out with dear friends helps immensely and I make sure I spend time with them.

I go to bed early.  All the studies that I read say we are a sleep deprived nation.  As the old saying goes:  Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man (or woman) healthy, wealthy, and wise. It is dark here by 5:30pm on a cloudy day, other than care of a dependent, every thing else will wait for tomorrow.  I curl up in my favorite pink plaid flannel comforter, the one Izzy and Tom are always trying to claim as their own, and try to relax and go to sleep.  If my mind starts to spin, I mentally say I'll take care of that tomorrow or just the word later.  My friend says I channel Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind!

Both Tom and I find home-made soups comforting in the winter.  I love making my Mom and Grandma's soups.  Comfort food to me is the food of my childhood.  I was lucky to have such great cooks in my family.  We have a big pot of Dutch Pea Soup on the stove.  Tom said he will find comfort with a big mug of pea soup, my comforter, and the Ohio State football game on TV.  I went to the library and picked up a big stack of books as they are my comfort rather than TV or movies.

So while we comfort ourselves we wonder, what is comfort to you!  What foods do you like?  Michigan Cottage Cook will have recipes form our comfort zone and we hope they will resonate with you.  Click the "COMMENT" button at the end of this post and let us know what comforts you?  How do you get through bad months of weather in your climate?