Lower Saxon wedding soup

Ingredients for 16 servings:

• 1 chicken (soup chicken)
• 500 g beef for cooking
• 1 bone (soup bone)
• 1 stalk(s) leek, cut into 4 pieces
• 150 g celery in one piece
• 150 g carrot(s), halved
• 2 onions, peeled only
• 1 root parsley, whole
• 3 bay leaves
• 8 carnations
• salt and pepper
• ½ cauliflower, cut into very small florets
• 200 g carrot(s), sliced
• 200 g peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 stalk(s) leek, sliced
• 350 g asparagus, chopped
• 500 g Mett (Thuringian style)
• 1 egg(s)
• some breadcrumbs
• ½ liter of milk
• 8 eggs
• nutmeg
• 2 bunch parsley, fresh, chopped
• 1 bag of noodles (soup noodles)
• 5 liters of water
• Egg white (3 egg whites) to clarify the soup if necessary

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours

as I know her

The night before, make a broth with about 4-5 liters of water from the chicken, beef, bones, pieces of leek, celery, and carrot, the parsley root, the two onions, bay leaves, cloves, and pepper. Add cold water to the meat (the beef will cloud the broth in hot water). Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and only then add the salt. Simmer the broth slowly over medium heat for about 4 hours, skimming off any foam. After boiling, use the meat for another purpose, e.g., in a casserole, ragout, fricassee, etc. Discard the vegetables or eat with a little lemon juice. Allow the broth to cool and skim off the fat with a ladle. Strain it through a sieve. If it isn’t clear, clarify it with egg whites: Heat the broth and carefully add 2 to 3 egg whites to the broth – do not allow it to boil, as the egg whites will collect suspended particles. Discard the egg whites and season to taste. For the filling, knead the Thuringian Mett (a kind of minced meat), pepper, salt, 1 egg, and breadcrumbs together and form very small meatballs from the meat mixture. Boil a separate pot of water. Reduce the heat and let the meatballs simmer until they float to the surface—then they’re cooked. Remove from the water and set aside. Whisk together 8 eggs, milk, salt, and nutmeg. Place in a freezer bag or a buttered dish (glass or porcelain bowl) and let simmer in a water bath. This takes about 30-40 minutes, by which time the egg custard will be firm enough to slice. Cut into small cubes and set aside. Cook the cauliflower florets, carrot slices, asparagus pieces, and peas in a separate pot until al dente—each vegetable separately, as the carrots can color the rest. Briefly blanch the leek slices. Briefly cook the soup noodles in water (not in the broth, as this will make it cloudy again) and drain. Now add the individual ingredients to the hot broth. Don’t boil any longer, add the freshly chopped parsley, and serve immediately. It sounds difficult, but it isn’t. It just takes a little time, but the flavor is worth the effort. Fresh or frozen vegetables are also important for good flavor; please don’t use canned ones.