Walnut Beef Soup--Probably from Georgia

The soup season is in. After a month of unstoppable rain, a real fall chill has come. Last weekend for the first time this season it was so cold that the heating system went on and off the whole night. And every time I looked through the window at this depressing weather, I dreamed more and more about a bowl of warm soup.

On Sunday evening we had a dinner at our neighbours who served a pumpkin bisque soup. There was nothing that could taste better on that cold evening, served with fresh, home made bread. But because last week I already made many pumpkin dishes, I decided to cook a different soup. And, for that purpose, I reached for a recipe that has been intriguing me for a long time.

I have been reading a lot about less known cuisines and among them about the Georgian cuisine. And it struck how much walnuts they use. This makes me believe that this soup, which I do not know exactly the origins of, comes from Georgia as walnuts are its main ingredient. It falls into the Eintopf category. Although it is based on basically two main ingredients (walnuts and beef), the two of them already make it very rich. When served with bread that soup can be as satisfying as a main dish. Fresh herbs add a lot of aroma to that already unusual combination.

Walnut Beef Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb (about 500g) beef (any tender variety will work best),
1 cup of shelled walnuts,
1 tbsp all purpose flour,
1 tsp ground coriander,
2 garlic cloves,
2 tbsp tomato paste,
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves,
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves,
1 tsp salt,
ground pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Cut beef into about one-inch cubes and put it in a medium pot. Cover the meat with 8 cups of cold water and bring it to boil.
2. When the beef starts to cook skim the foam from the surface and let it cook until the beef becomes soft, which will take 30-40 minutes, depending on how tender the beef is.
3. Chop garlic on the cutting board and mix it with salt. Add to the beef stock.
4. Chop or grind the walnuts and add them to the soup.
5. In a small bowl mix one tablespoon of flour, tomato paste, coriander, and a little bit of water to make a smooth paste. When all the flour clots dissolve, add four tablespoons of beef stock to the tomato paste, mix well and pour into the soup. Stir and let it boil.
6. Remove the pot from the heat, add chopped basil and parsley. Serve with bread.

Leek and Beef Soup--Another Eintopf

Sometimes we enjoy a labor intensive and sophisticated cooking that brings a "wow!' comment, but sometimes, especially after a long weekend that was most of all about cooking, a simple and easy meal is all we dream of. I do not expect that those two, or really three ingredients already sit on your refrigerator shelf, but you can get them on the way home and later, without much effort, enjoy a hearty, fulfilling meal. This soup certainly belongs in the eintopf category, as it is a rich wholesome dish in itself.

I got this recipe from my godmother. Ironically all her life she was everything but a good cook. She had a great style and taste, which was particularly striking years ago, in the most difficult economically times. She was funny and easy going. She had a business talent and was running a very profitable jewelry store, one of the biggest in northern Poland. Although we are not related, I claim to have inherited from her my "good eye" for jewelry of all kind.

After I told you all that about my godmother, you should not be surprised that I was rather apprehensive, when she called me to share this recipe. But on one busy day I decided to give this culinary experiment a try. And the result was surprisingly good, especially for the few ingredients it required.

I cannot give you the true origins of this recipe but, since my godmother is of German descent and traveled often to Germany, it likely comes from there, but perhaps not and it is just an invention of the busy generation.

This soup is so simple, that I am sure one can experiment with it endlessly--a different type of cheese can be used, or some spices added, vegetable or beef bouillon cubes, or anything extra. But if you decide to stick with the original version, it is still quite interesting. My own addition was to spice it up with a lot of freshly ground pepper and a full spoon of Italian herbs. It tastes great with a nice French country bread, but when I prepared this soup for today's post, I served it with a very fresh baguette and this worked perfectly well too.

Leek and Beef Soup
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
1 pound of lean ground beef,
3 leeks,
3 wedges of The Laughing Cow creamy cheese, or any European equivalent,
salt, pepper,
1 tbsp of dry Italian herbs, or at least oregano,
1 cube of vegetable bouillon,
2 tbsp vegetable oil,

Preparation:
1. Wash leeks thoroughly, to make sure that all the dirt has been removed from between the leaves, and cut them into thin slices.
2. In a saucepan heat the oil and fry beef until gold.
3. Add leeks to the saucepan and saute them until they become transparent.
4. Turn down heat a notch, add herbs, salt, and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Cover the meat with water (about 4 cups) and cook for about 30 minutes or until soft.
5. You can add a vegetable or beef bouillon cube at that moment.
6. When meat becomes soft, add three wedges of cream cheese and let the soup simmer until the cheese melts completely.
7. Serve the soup with fresh bread.

Hearty Goulash--the Hungarian Eintopf

In the north of Poland where I come from, and which was under German influence for many years and boasts to be the homeland of Nicolaus Copernicus and Immanuel Kant, this type of dish was called Eintopf (one pot dish)--a very heavy soup or rather a soupy dish, and was often served on Mondays.

In the English speaking countries people call it a stew, which rightly or wrongly I associate with something unattractive from the culinary standpoint. Another well-known variety of the same idea is the Hungarian goulash--which is a heavy soup or rather a whole very nutritious meal made in one pot, which because if its consistency often poses a dilemma as to whether to eat it with a spoon or a fork.

But, under these different names, this is really all about convenience and comfort. It is something easy to make, when you mix all the ingredients and after cooking them together, you have a very satisfying meal, which you can serve with wine or beer. It is a great idea to prepare this almost no hassle dish for a big gathering, especially on a cold evening. It is so easy that it can be an every day dinner or a life saving dinner idea when unexpected guests arrive.

There are many one pot dishes in Polish culinary repertoire, as during the economically difficult times, we often had to cook up something out of nothing. By adding potatoes and different vegetables, a small portion of meat was expanded into a meal that could feed the entire family.

As the season for local vegetables still goes on, I had an idea to make a Hungarian goulash, which thanks to the colorful vegetables and dried paprika content, is one of the most attractive looking Eintopfs. Although, as the name indicates, it is a Hungarian dish, it has been so deeply-rooted in Polish cuisine, probably since the times when Hungarian kings ruled in Poland and Polish kings ruled in Hungary, that we really consider it being Hungarian only by name.

I know several dishes based on that idea, including one that is probably utterly Polish invention, as it is based on Polish sausage, although it is made with a lot of Hungarian paprika as well. I would say Hungarian paprika is a key ingredient in every goulash and its color and taste make a huge difference in this particular dish. Therefore, it is worth purchasing the original Hungarian paprika, which is now available in the international food section of many stores in America.

To make it a one pot dish I added a potato to the goulash, as it is done in Hungary. Good tomatoes are also important, although Austrians make goulash without tomatoes and in the Polish version we often make it without potatoes, but we add dried porcini for example and serve it with different kinds of noodles or buckwheat.

Next time, if you have no idea what to cook for dinner, maybe you get some paprika and try goulash.

Hungarian Goulash
(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
2 lb beef of good quality, cut into cubes.
2 onions cut into half slices,
4 garlic cloves, crushed,
2 green peppers (sweet Cuban peppers are a good substitute for the original Hungarian pepper, which have very characteristic strong flavor), cut into thick half slices,
2 large tomatoes, cut into medium-sized quarters,
2 lb baby potatoes or regular potatoes cut into cubes,
2 bay leaves,
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika,
1 tbsp caraway seeds,
3 tbsp lard or oil,
1 tsp salt,
1 tsp pepper.

Preparation:
1. In a large pot with a thick bottom, preferably cast iron (like Le Creuset) heat the lard or oil.
2. Add onion and fry until gold.
3. Take a pot off the heat to add paprika (it is important not to burn paprika, as it will become bitter) and meat and combine them until the meat becomes all covered with pepper. Let it simmer on low heat until the meat is slightly brown.
4. Add bay leaves, salt, pepper, caraway seeds, and garlic.
5. Cover with water and let it cook for about 30-40 minutes.
6. Add pepper, tomatoes, and potatoes. Add extra water if needed to cover everything, and let it cook for another 30 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are soft.

I like to garnish it with chopped parsley (a very Polish tradition), and in the Hungarian tradition you may add a dollop of sour cream on top of the portion, just before serving. Goulash can be served with white bread, which can be used to scoop up all the delicious sauce at the end.