Looking for unusual appetizer soups? Here's one passed down in my family tradition that is used on Christmas eve but is good anytime.



Pinchy Soup:

2 Cups Sauerkraut juice

1 Cup Water

1 large head garlic cloves (about 3-4 TBSP minced/mashed)

1 tsp (more if you want) ground black pepper



Noodles

1/2 cup flour

Enough water to make a hard dough (start with 4 tablespoons)



roll dough thin and cut into squares the size of your pinky fingernail

let dough squares harden while you combine soup ingredients and bring to a boil. Drop squares into soup and cook until squares are done au dente (just a tiny bit of white showing when bit into). Serve in small soup cup while hot. It really brings the taste buds alive.



Almost forgot - serve with slice of fresh bread smeared with honey. Poppyseed (cooked with milk and honey) mixed with baked bread-dough balls (soak in boiling water for 2 minutes to soften before mixing with poppyseed mixture) is also good.

WOW. Definetly must try that recipe. Sounds both unusual and tasty.We have an unusal Borscht recipe in the family that I will look up and post when I find it.It comes from some Mennonite relatives that lived in Paraguay in the 50s.They could not find beets to put in their soup so they substituted Watermelon rinds.

Can't wait - I LOVE Borsch, especially on cold winter days. Like to put a nice dollop of sour cream in it HOT. Interesting that watermelon rind is used - do they cut the outer skin off? Some recipes call for meat in the borsch but I usually make it meatless. I have a good recipe for lime-pickled watermelon rind - with the outer skin on. I have a friend who cannot eat regular pickles and she loves the watermelon pickles. I also have a separate recipe for watermelon pickles with the outer skin off - uses lemon rind and is quite refreshing. Let me know if you're interested.

Here's another Christmas eve special that works well served with potato pierogies (homemade, of course). It's called Machunka:



About 2 cups sauerkraut juice (from one bag of sauerkraut - I use the drained sauerkraut to make sauerkraut pirohi/pierogies)

2 8 oz cans mushroom pieces (drained-save the juice for making vegetable soup)

A rue made of 1/4 lb butter and flour (add as you go to make thick)- saute to golden red and add to saurkraut juice/mushroom mix.

Bring to boil, add 1/2 tspn ground black pepper.

Add flour to make gravy texture thinner or thicker as desired.

Soup can be eaten as is or dip pierogies into thick gravy - yummmmy!