Midnight Soup is a hearty late night soup enjoyed on New Year’s Eve in Germany, Poland, Austria and Switzerland.
It’s also great for countering radiation sickness.
It can get pretty cold in Europe on New Year’s Eve, and the parties and balls can go all night. The Germans have engineered Midnight Soup specifically to warm up and restore revelers who have been partying it up. They call it Mitternachtsuppe, and in Poland, it’s called Kabanossi soup, named for the salami-like style of cured meat used. To Americans, it is like a delicious German riff on American-style chili.
We found a recipe many years ago in an obscure corner of the internet in a collection of recipes from the chemists and physicists at the Department of Nuclear Chemistry at the University of Mainz in Germany, and adapted it to our liking. The original version is included in the notes at the bottom of the recipe card if you want to try it.
Fun Fact: Alcohol is used to counter the effects of radiation sickness, so it doesn’t come as a surprise this is a staple among the scientists. By design, this recipe is a restorative that counters the effects of alcohol!
Our son used to take double batches to school potlucks and always came home with a clean pot. We would serve it at our own fancy dress New Years Eve parties. And it’s just perfect on a cold rainy day.
Can’t find Kabanossi? No problem, we usually can’t either, so we will reach for another mildly spiced sausage like kielbasa or frankfurters.
Heavy in protein with a decent amount of carbs and fat, we can personally attest Midnight Soup is an ideal counter to a cold day or boozy night. Thankfully, we can’t speak for the radiation sickness part, but we’ll take their word for it.
Mitternachtsuppe (Midnight Soup)
Equipment
- 1 Large heavy pot Preferably enameled cast iron
- 1 Wooden spoon
Mise en place
- 1/2 lb bacon sliced into 1/2" pieces
- 2 onions diced
- 1 lb kabanossi, or kielbasa or frankfurters, sliced Kabanossi is a type of salami, but we typically use another mildly spicy sausage, like kielbasa or frankfurters
- 2 cloves garlic smashed and minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- salt and pepper about a teaspoon of each
- 2 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 dashes Tobasco sauce
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper 1/2" dice
- 1 can cannelloni or other white beans drained
- 1 can kidney beans drained
- 3 cups beef broth or bullion heated
- 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes canned is ok
- 1/2 cup mascarpone or sour cream
Method
- In a large cast iron pot over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until just crispy. Carefully drain some of the fat if you like. Return the pot with the bacon to the stove
- Add onions and sweat 4-5 minutes
- Add the sausage and fry a minute or two
- Add the garlic and fry a minute more
- Add the beef and season with salt and pepper, spices, Tabasco and Worcestershire. Stir well to break up the meat and combine everything. Cook until the meat is just browned
- Add the peppers, beans, tomatoes, and hot stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for at least one hour. Adjust seasonings when ready to serve
- To serve, put some soup in a bowl with a small dollop of mascarpone or sour cream, and serve with a hunk of crusty bread on the side
Notes
meat, beans, tomatoes and bouillon. Season with salt, pepper,
red pepper, chili and garlic. Cook for one hour. Add the
sliced kabanossi. Before serving stir yoghurt under the soup. recipe by Klaus Eberhardt
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