RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Cherry Soup, Hungarian - dairy
The following is from "The World of Jewish Cooking," by Gil Marks. He writes: "Fruit soups and compotes, made from both fresh and dried fruit, are a favorite part of central European cooking. The most popular Hungarian variation is made from cherries. There are two types of cherries: sweet and sour (morello). Sweet cherries are primarily eaten fresh; sour cherries, which are smaller and paler, are used in cooking, baking, and liqueurs. One pound of fresh cherries yields about 2-1/4 cups pitted fruit. If using canned cherries, substitute the cherry juice for an equal amount of water. Since cherries make their appearance in early summer, this soup is a traditional Shavuot dish." Meggy Leves ----------- Hungarian Cherry Soup 6 to 8 servings 2 pounds fresh or 40 ounces canned tart red cherries, pitted 4 cups water 1/2 to 1 cup sugar 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick slice of lemon peel pinch of salt 1 cup dry red wine about 2 tablespoons lemon juice sour cream or lemon slices for garnish 1. Bring the cherries, water, sugar, cinnamon, lemon peel and salt to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the cherries are tender, about 15 minutes for canned cherries, about 30 minutes for fresh. 2. Strain the soup, discarding the cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Return the liquid to the pot. Reserve 1 cup of the cherries and puree the remaining cherries. 3. Stir the pureed cherries into the cooking liquid. Add the wine and lemon juice and return to a simmer. Stir in the reserved whole cherries. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Spoon into soup bowls and garnish with dollops of sour cream or lemon slices. Variation _Frucht Zup_ (Central European Fruit Soup): Reduce the amount of cherries to 1 cup, do not puree the fruit, and add with the cherries 1 cup each sliced peaches, sliced plums, and raspberries or strawberries. Ruth
