Recipes

Tante Anni's Grüne Bohnensuppe (Green Bean Soup)


About 1 lb of bony lamb ( if you can't find soup bones, a leg of lamb slice or two will work)

1 lb of green beans

4 or 5 medium potatoes

1 large onion

1 Tbsp butter

salt

1 - 2 tsp Bohnenkraut ( Savory)

white wine vinegar


Simmer the lamb in about 8 cups of water for one hour.  Turn off heat. Remove lamb.  Once it's cool enough to handle remove bones and fat, and cut the lamb into bite-size pieces.  Return to broth.

Chop onion. Saute it in butter until it's translucent and starting to brown.  Add to soup.

Peel potatoes and cut into bite size pieces. Reheat broth to a simmer, add potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.

While potatoes are simmering, clean green beans and cut into bite-size pieces.  

When the potatoes have simmered for 10 minutes, add green beans. Add salt to taste, savory, and 1- 2 Tbsp of vinegar.  Simmer for five more minutes.  Season to taste with salt and vinegar.

Note:  I can't resist garlic in any form, so I've modified this recipe by adding a clove of mashed garlic.  Also, Tante Anni made this recipe most frequently using home-canned beans, instead of fresh.  So in a pinch, canned beans work also.




Omi Paula's Gurkensalat (Cucumber Salad)


I large English cucumber, or two American ones, sliced thin on a mandoline

1 Tbsp salad oil

1 Tbsp vinegar

1/2 tsp of prepared mustard

1/3 cup of sour cream  ( I substitute low-fat yogurt these days)

1 - 2 tsp of dried dill or 1 Tbsp of chopped fresh dill

salt and white pepper to taste

I slice the cucumber into a dish using a German cucumber slicer which is a simplified version of a mandoline.  I then just add the other ingredients, stir and let it rest in the fridge.  

Note: My other grandmother - Hedwig - omitted the sour cream and added a pinch of sugar.