Family Recipes - Nana soup

Ida Lieberman making her soup about 1958.*

 My maternal grandmother, Ida Grosser Lieberman, was not known for her cooking  She made good but not special meals.  My memories of eating at her home included multiple courses including the traditional 1950s appetizers of tomato juice, half grapefruit, or store-bought shrimp cocktail.  Desserts were often store-bought as well. Holiday meals were at her parent's home ( her mother made all of the traditional Jewish dishes), or in later years, at my mother's table. Before my time, she had worked at my grandfather's store and later was active on various synagogue committees so focused on basic household tasks.  Cooking, I think, fell into the "necessary" category.

There was one dish that she made that was loved by everyone in the family, including my grandfather's picky siblings and their children.  That was her hearty vegetable soup.  We called it Nana soup.  The legend was that only the oldest daughter of the oldest daughter could make this soup correctly.  That would have included my great-grandmother, as well as my mother although I don't remember either of them making it.  

Me making the soup
in January 2017

The soup was thick and contained chunks of beef from the soup bone that started it, as well as both dried (tube of Manichewitz vegetable soup ingredients with alphabets) and fresh vegetables, mushrooms, barley, and pillowy dough bits that we called rivels.  The secret ingredient that gave the soup its creamy texture and a characteristic hint of sweetness was a small can of creamed corn.

I got the recipe from her, and as the next "eldest daughter" in line, started to make it every winter.  I use a 16-quart soup pot and fill containers to put into the freezer. I like to serve it to my brother and others who remember my Nana, as the taste of it always brings back good memories and family stories.

*Photo colorized by MyHeritage.com