Sauer Klops, a Mennonite Soup

My beam of concentration is on sewing and the online class, so I've been cooking old standards for meals (which come up with surprising swiftness; when will I get used to that?).

But here, like a lovely late winter gift, is a delicious soup recipe using mostly pantry staples from More with Less.  I haven't actually tried every recipe in More with Less, even though I write about it so much. However, it's been so rainy that I actually read through the soup recipes instead of assuming I have.

According to More with Less, this soup comes from Prussian Mennonites; even if my Swiss-German Mennonite heritage includes Prussia, this is not a soup I've seen or heard of before.  Well, with the exception that its pepper and vinegar reminds me of Chinese hot and sour soup, which my family loves.  

Sauer Klops (Meatball Soup) - tweaked slightly

Combine and form into 1" balls:
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c. fine cracker or bread crumbs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
dash pepper

Set the meatballs aside.

Combine in soup pot:
2 c. cubed potatoes
1 onion, chopped
7 kernels allspice
1-2 carrots, chopped
3 c. water (maybe a little more)
1 tsp. salt
dash pepper

Bring to boiling point, and then add meatballs.  Simmer over low heat 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are soft and meatballs cooked through. 

Add a handful of fresh parsley, chopped.
Add 2 Tbs. vinegar.

Mix together until smooth (I use my Tupperware batter shaker)
1/2 c. cream or half & half
3 Tbs. flour

Pour into soup, stirring continuously until soup is thickened.

One option listed is to add peas at the end; I'm going to try that next time.  This amount supposedly serves 4, but with biscuits, it barely served my little family of two adults, two kiddos; I will double the recipe next time.  Maybe not everybody makes a meal out of soup and bread?  That's our staple winter meal. 

And then we had fasnachts - spring must be coming!