A Day That Really Schmecks!

The Best Vegetable Soup I’ve Ever Tasted (That's the name of the soup!)

Edna Staebler’s cookbook, Food That Really Schmecks, has been republished. In honor of this occasion, food bloggers are participating in an event called A Day That Really Schmecks. The bloggers will prepare a recipe or two from the book and blog about it. Jasmine of will post a line up of the blogged about recipes on Confessions of a Cardamom Addict on January 15, 2007.

Staebler was an award winning journalist and author. She recently passed away in 2006 at the age of 100. I’m certainly glad that it’s never too late to learn about her and her work.

From the title to its content of Mennonite Country Cooking recipes, I found Food That Really Schmecks appealing. As I read the book on the subway and at work, people who spotted the title made comments. The title alone was a conversation starter. I’m not sure what “schmecks” literally means, but I get the gist that it means something along the lines of “good, great, awesome…” that sort of thing. Anyone out there, please feel free to enlighten me.

I liked how the book is filled with recipes for seemingly everything – from Grape Wine to Milk Toast, sauces for vegetables, pickled eggs, cheese bread, porridge bread, Almond Macaroons, to Angel cake, Sponge cake and more. There are even recipes for candy! I also like that a measurement conversion table is located in the back. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a section entitled ‘A Variety of Things,’ where you can find recipes for sausages, cheese, and home remedies.

Interspersed throughout the book are Staebler’s stories about cooking Mennonites and her family, which I found entertaining. The book really packs a punch and has a lot to offer.

I decided to make the recipe entitled, 'The Best Vegetable Soup I’ve Ever Tasted' (another title I like). The ingredients are simple and the recipe uncomplicated.

I’m wondering, though, if there’s a typo in this recipe. ½ cup raw rice is mentioned twice. In any event, I only used the ½ cup rice measurement once and it worked out fine. The soup was light, yet filling.

Best of all, I like how Staebler encourages the reader not to take the recipes seriously but instead have fun with them. “Experiment, improvise, be a little reckless,” she writes. I did have fun and added a little Cajun Spice, which my friend had sent me, to make the soup spicier. Loved it!

There are many recipes, from which to pick. The soup I prepared was a good start and I plan on trying out more of the recipes.

Look, mom! I’m making Mennonite Country food! That really schmecks!

Don't forget to check out Confessions of a Cardamom Addict, January 15, to see a round up of all the prepared meals that schmeck. Thanks, Jasmine for putting this together.

Paz

Ed. Note: According to Jasmine, "Schmecks" means "tasty" or "tastes very good." Also it seems that the double posting of the rice ingredient is indeed a typo. The rice ingredient only appears once in the first cookbook printing. So that that means there should only be one listing of 1/2 cup raw rice in the new cookbook version, as well.

The Best Vegetable Soup I’ve Ever Tasted
Food That Really Schmecks – Edna Staebler


When Mother made this mild, thick soup with vegetables, rice and beef, we didn’t need or want anything else. The amounts I give are approximate.

1 large, meaty beef bone (I think it comes from a cow’s leg)
Water to cover the bone with at least 2 quarts left after the boiling

½ cup raw rice
2 medium-sized sliced raw potatoes
½ cup raw rice (Paz Note: I wonder if this is a typo, since it’s already mentioned above)
2 or 3 sliced carrots
½ cupful sliced cabbage
1 cup celery, cut up
Salt and pepper
1 small sliced onion (optional)
1 cup cut-up green beans
½ cup green peas
Lots of parsley

Boil the beef till it falls off the bone. Add the rice and boil for 15 minutes, then add the vegetables and continue boiling until they are tender but not mushy – about 20 minutes. Cut the meat into more-or-less bite-sized pieces, keeping it hot in the soup. Add the cup-up parsley and serve into large, deep soup dishes – again and again.

It's Delurking Week!