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10/09/2003 Archived Entry: "MARCI PENNER'S GERMAN BEAN AND SAUSAGE SOUP"

MARCI PENNER'S GERMAN BEAN AND SAUSAGE SOUP

It seemed just the right time to stir up a kettle of Marci's favorite soup. With houseguests arriving today, I find it convenient to have a few things ready to go to meet the cry of empty stomachs.

German Bean and Sausage Soup

2 slices bacon
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 c. cubed, peeled potatoes
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. water
1 1/2 c. thinly sliced smoked bratwurst or Polish sausage (kielbasa)
16 oz. can green beans, UNDRAINED
16 oz. can Great Northern beans or white beans UNDRAINED

Cook bacon until crisp; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. set aside.
Saute onion in reserved drippings until tender. Add carrots, potato, parsley, marjoram, pepper and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 20 minutes.

Add bratwurst, beans and reserved bacon. Heat thoroughly.

She also recommends a big loaf of warm, crusty bread and butter at the side. You can use your imagination for other things that would enhance the soup.

I've made this several times and everyone always enjoys it. I don't follow the "amounts" at all since I hate to measure stuff. (That's why I'm lousy at making desserts.) I also add garlic, chicken stock and leave the skins on new potatoes. Don't pay any attention to that. Marci doesn't put them in hers and she knows what she is doing. I usually try to restrain myself and make the recipe as given the first time. After that I extrapolate at will.

When making this, I throw enough in it for a big batch... 3 to 4 times her recipe. I just judge amounts from preference, experience and taste. It works for me and the way I cook.

Lastly, I should add...I'm sure Marci would want others to know that she isn't taking credit for this recipe...she didn't hover over the stove with a lot of ingredients at hand and dream up this concoction. It probably came from someone related to or friends of friends of her Section 27 German Mennonite family. She probably grew up eating this soup. I remember a recipe by the person who fed it to me or passed it on to me as being very good. That's why I call it her soup. So, no matter where it came from, to me, this is Marci's German Bean and Sausage Soup...and it is good. I just sampled my latest batch and it is terrific, even if I do say so myself.