by Linda Bautz McKenna

Recipe was passed down from my Grandmother Magdalena “Lena” Mayer Bautz

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds beef shank with boneor 1 chicken, cut in serving pieces *
• 2 qts water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 medium onion
• 2 sticks celery
• 8 to 10 sprigs of parsley leaves, tied
• 1/2 cup canned whole tomatoes (or fresh)
• 4 whole cloves
• pinch of Spanish saffron
• 4 carrots
• 4 med. parsley roots or 2 med. parsnips
• 4 small potatoes, if desired

DIRECTIONS (steps, cooking time & temperature, servings, additional notes):

Put meat, water and salt in a large soup pot (4 qt or larger). Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for about 30 minutes. Skim broth to remove scum that forms on top.

Add onion, celery, parsley leaves, tomatoes, cloves and saffron. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Addcarrots, parsley root or parsnips, and potatoes (if desired). Continue cooking until meat and vegetables are done. If more broth is desired, add more water and simmer 15 minutes longer. Strain broth into a 3 qt sauce pan and bring to rolling boil. Add about 4 oz noodles and cook till tender. The meat and vegetables may be served separately as a main dish, with broth as appetizer, or may be added all together as a soup.   

For a variation, dumplings may be used in place of the noodles.Rice works nicely if making chicken soup

* If the chicken is a fryer (not a stewing hen), reduce cooking time.

[Edited by Rose Vetter]

Last updated: 12/09/2025