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Deutschesfest 2021 is in the books. As I write this column on Monday morning, cleanup is in full swing and you can hardly tell there was a festival here the last four days. I have been receiving requests for recipes of items at the German Bake Sale, and the new item, Dill Pickle Soup, served in the Bier Garten.

I will be looking into what recipe they kitchen crew used but meanwhile, Zupa Ogorkowa: Polish Creamy Dill Soup, is the recipe I use. Pickle soup is widely used in Eastern European countries as a hangover cure, replacing salt lost to dehydration, a side effect of alcohol consumption.

Dill Pickle Soup, a slightly tangy soup has many variations. Some include tomato, others turnips or parsnips. Carrots and celery appear in more versions.

Zupa Ogorkowa

Polish Creamy Dill Pickle Soup

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium onion, halved and sliced

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups chopped dill pickles

2/3 cup dill pickle juice

4 extra large potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch cubes

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cream

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Optional:

Chopped fresh dill for garnish

Melt butter in large soup kettle. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add broth, pickles, pickle juice and potatoes. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, almost falling apart. This will take about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, blend flour into sour cream. Temper the mixture by whisking in a little of the soup to warm to about 100 degrees. This will keep the mixture from curdling when you add it to the soup.

Pour tempered sour cream mixture into the soup, whisking constantly. Continue a low simmer and cook about 3 minutes or until soup is slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.

At this point you may leave the soup chunky, or puree for a smooth soup. Serve with rye bread or rolls. Yield: 6 servings.

Coconut Bread is always a good seller at bake sales. Several different bakers brought coconut bread to the German Bake Sale, Juli Weishaar’s recipe being one of them. The syrup poured over the warm loaves makes this bread almost like a slice of candy.

Coconut Bread

4 eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp coconut extract

1 cup flaked coconut

Optional:

1 cup chopped walnuts

Syrup:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp water

1 tsp coconut extract

In a large mixing bowl beat eggs, add sugar, oil, coconut extract and salt, and mix well. Stir in buttermilk. Beat in flour, baking powder and baking soda. Then stir in the flaked coconut.

Spoon batter into to greased, 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans, Or as Juli does for bake sales, three, 7 x 3 x 3 foil loaf pans.

Bake in preheated 325-degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

About 10 minutes before the bread is done baking, prepare syrup. In a small saucepan combine sugar and water and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in coconut extract.

When bread is done remove from oven. Run a table knife around edges and pour the hot syrup evenly over the loaves, letting the syrup run down the insides of the pans. Cool completely and let stand 4 hours before removing from the pans. Juli leaves the loaves in the pans when taking to bake sales or when gifting. Yield: 2 large or 3 medium size loaves

Note: Juli does not add the nuts. She does note you can change the flavor by using half coconut and half vanilla.

Sauerkraut and wieners or sausage, was a fallback meal for many German families of days gone by. Sauerkraut Casserole is an updated, easy to prepare dish, requiring only an hour of baking time.

Sauerkraut Casserole

1 pound German Sausage or Italian Sausage, cut in 1 inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped

2 apples, peeled and quartered

1 jar, (27 ounces), sauerkraut, undrained

1 cup water or apple juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp caraway seed

Snipped fresh parsley, optional

In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion until sausage is browned and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in apples, sauerkraut, water, brown sugar and caraway seed.

Transfer to a 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Or, transfer to a slow-cooker crock and cook over low for 8 hours. Garnish with parsley and serve with crusty bread or fresh mashed potatoes. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: this recipe is easy to double for a crowd. But don’t double the caraway seed.

Jack Frost has been close to striking a few times in the last couple of weeks. A light sheet or blanket is all that is needed to keep these early frosts from ruining the last tomatoes of the season. Or, you may pick all the tomatoes beginning to turn color and ripen them indoors in single layer in boxes.

Winter squash and jack-o-lantern and pie pumpkins need a light frost to sweeten the flavor and mature the texture of the meat and does not hurt the inside. Covering them will keep the skins firm and pretty for decorating.

What are your favorite recipes to use green tomatoes, winter squash and pumpkins, and other end-of-season fruits and vegetables?

– Share your favorite recipes for fall dinners, soups and desserts to Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Follow Welcome to My Kitchen on Facebook for recipes and kitchen tips we don’t have room for in the column.