Grandma's Hamburg Eel Soup

Ingredients

• 1 bone of smoked ham (or 500 g whole smoked bacon)
• 80 g dried plums
• 80 g dried pears
• 2 carrots
• 1 parsley root
• 1 stalk leek
• 100 g frozen green peas
• 150 g asparagus
• 350 g fresh eel (ready to cook, skin removed)
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 50 g flour
• 125 ml milk
• Salt
• pepper (ground)
• a pinch of sugar
• nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Instructions

1. 1.

   Simmer ham bone or bacon with about 1.5 l water covered for approximately 2 hours.

2. 2.

   Pour about 250 ml boiling water over the dried fruit and let soak for about 1 hour.

3. 3.

   Peel and cut asparagus into small pieces.

4. 4.

   Peel and dice carrots and parsley root.

5. 5.

   Wash, trim, and slice the white and light green parts of the leek.

6. 6.

   Cut eel into pieces roughly 5 cm long.

7. 7.

   Boil 3 tbsp vinegar with about 250 ml water and pour over the soup, letting it steep for about 30 minutes.

8. 8.

   For the dumplings, cook flour, milk, salt, pepper, and sugar in a pot while stirring until thick; remove from heat, let cool slightly, beat in egg, season with nutmeg, and shape into small dumplings using two small spoons.

9. 9.

   Strain the broth through a sieve into a pot, add the dried fruit with soaking liquid and root vegetables, bring to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, then add peas and asparagus and cook another 5 minutes.

10. 10.

    Add the dumplings to the simmering broth and let them sit for about 8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar to taste.