My Family Recipes
Creating a Family Recipe Cookbook
My family is probably not that much different than yours. My youngest cousin just celebrated his 40th birthday and my oldest cousin is 60 years old. A few of my aunts and uncles are still a live with my mother in her 80's but each year we are getting closer to being the oldest generation of our family. Most of the nieces and nephews are in their early 20's but the newest member of the family is 4 years old.
Where our family might be a bit different is that is most of the members are first generation Americans. Since some of us are foreign born, me included,we are not that far removed from the old country. As I have mentioned before in this blog that my parents are Germany with our family going back many generations. We still have a few relatives still living in the old country and family members spread all over the world. I tell you this since I have invited them to comment on my blog about their stories and recipes. I am just like most of you who have asked your relatives to add their recipes to your on line website to help you create a family cookbook. I want to see how many really respond to my request. I am using this as away to discuss those challenges from my own experiences to help you create your own family memory cookbook.
A few of this generation family members were born in South America. I think that makes us a lot different than most of you. I grew up with Pico De Gallos sitting on out table to be used with savory dishes. But what makes us very similar to your family is that we are about to lose our family heirloom recipes.
Perfect Example:
While my mother was pregnant with me her food choice of urges were saltanas. She was the first person at the corner stand waiting for the stand to open. No one kept a record of how many she ate. After moving to the United States my Aunt Edith would make that Bolivian pocket food a few times a year. I am not sure what triggered to make them except maybe she had received enough requests so it was just time. These were never served at holiday get togethers. Saltanas were such a big part of out up bringing that we well went to Washington DC to celebrate a Bat Mitzvah part of the itinerary was to go to a Bolivian restaurant that served them. I have obtained a recipe from a cooking magazine but they are not my Aunt Edith's Saltanas. I use this recipe when I use them as an appetizer. They taste good but not the great taste from my memory that my aunt made. So unless a family member has her recipe this family heirloom will be lost to a new generation.
Lentil Soup
10 cups of water
1 can Chicken broth*
4 Beef boullion cubes
1 lb package of Lentils
3/4 tsp Celery seed
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1 tblsp Maggi seasoning**
2 med Onions cut into 1" pieces
3 stalks Celery cut into 1/2" pieces
2-1/2 lbs Carrots, peeled and cut into 1"-1/2" chunks
8 med Potatoes, peeled and each divided into 8 chunks
1 lb of Beef stew pieces or Beef Smoked Sausage cut into 1" chunks++
* you can substitute 1 Chicken boullion cube and 1 cup of water
** usually found in the Foreign foods section, ask your Grocer, this is a key ingredient and can't be left out
++ meat is optional and can be left out for a vegetarian recipe
This is a very hearty dish, quite filling and especially good during cold weather.
It can easily be made vegetarian style. The ingredients can be prepared as you are cooking to save time.
Adapted from my mother's recipe which has changed each of the 20 times I asked for it.
Place the water into a large pot (6 Qt minimum) on high heat. Add the Chicken broth. Rinse the Lentils off in
a colander and add to the water. Add all of the spices, salt, and Maggi seasoning. Stir well.
Prepare the Onions, Celery, Carrots, and Potatoes. Add these vegetables to the soup.
If you are making the dish with meat, add these later. Once soup begins boiling reduce heat
to medium-low to allow soup to simmer. Cover pot and stir occasionally. Total cooking time is 2 hours
from the time the Lentils were added. If you are adding meat, add the meat about 1 hour-15 minutes
after you start or the about 1-1/2 hours after you start.
Serve piping hot. A few dashes of Maggi can be added to each serving to suit individual tastes.
Leftovers freeze well and can be reheated in the microwave.
This is still something we make often and use it when we need to make a hearty dish for families in crisis/need.
- Gary
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Your Uncle Gerd has now added cooking to his skills. When we were younger, he never cooked at home except for potato pancakes. My siblings can of course correct me on this, but that is my memory.
Now he makes all kinds of quiches and other items for the synagogue, besides the usual baked goods.
You might find a way to get recipes from him to add to your site. I’m sure he has the sultana recipe
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My mother came to the UK aged 7 on her own so she didn't have recipes from Germany. Nor did my father but he did like pumpernickel bread and pickled cucumbers. About the only thing my Dad cooked inside (BBQ excepted) was pancakes, that was his specialty. I was 17 before I ate a bagel and very excited about it, I think because of the name, shape and Jewishness rather than the taste, which doesn't do a lot for me. But I did become a baker for 2 or 3 years, so maybe there are family genes at work (or crossing marriages).
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MAGGI you should write a little bit more in detail about it. Maggi gives food umami the fifth taste some what savory. It's something we grew up using instead of salt. Now it's a popular flavor to add to foods. It was something we grew up with and not surprising that Edith would have it in a recipe.
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