German Hunter's Soup

I had dinner at a German restaurant recently and this soup was on the menu. Reading the description, I was not impressed. However, it was different enough that I ordered it. Then I was blown away. It might not look like much but it instantly became my families favorite soup.

I knew I had to recreate it so I gave it a lot of thought before I set out to do so. If you want to give it a try, you have to follow my directions and use the exact ingredients or it will not have the incredible flavor that mine does. The secret is creating a rich beefy stock. First make the meatballs:

Make the meatballs in a mixer:

Ground Beef- 1/2 lb
Ground Pork- 1/2 lb
Bread-1 slice soaked in milk
Egg-1 beaten
Onion- 1/4 cup
Salt- 1 teaspoon + back pepper to taste
Parsley- 5-6 tablespoons finely chopped divided

Mixing this in a mixer will give you a denser meatball which you need for this soup. Form this into 1 inch meatballs and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. They should not be overcooked because they will continue to cook in the soup.

Saute' 1 diced onion, about 15 sliced button mushrooms and 1 large minced garlic clove in some bacon/butter. Using some bacon grease gives it a smokey undertone. Add 2 anchovies, 3 T. tomato paste and a few squirts of fish sauce. Do not skip this step. You will never taste the anchovies but the combination of these three ingredients will give you a very rich beefy broth. Cook until the anchovy dissolves and the paste browns slightly just a minute or so. Add 2-3 bay leaves, some rosemary and a bit of dried thyme. Add 8 cups of good beef stock, 2 Knorrs beef tubs, some beef bouillon and 1/4 cup demi glace'. Add 2 bags of fresh green beans cut into 1 " pieces. Bring to a slight boil and then turn it down to simmer. Add your meatballs, cut in half. Cook until the meatballs are warmed through and the beans have just a bit of a crunch. Season with salt and pepper if it needs it. I like this very peppery.