Recipe(tried): Klops Zup (German for meatball soup - milk and vinegar basked)

KLOPS ZUP (GERMAN FOR MEATBALL SOUP)

My family came from Germany and had a traditional German soup, Klops Zup (Klop Soup), which has a milk and vinegar base (with pepper corns, parsley, etc.), and meat balls and potatoes.

Although Great Grandma Peters (Petrovsky) did not use measurements or Americanized products, my mother measured out what she used and has the following recipe:

SOUP INGREDIENTS:
5 quarts water
3/8 cup dried parsley flakes*
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 3/4 teaspoons salt
7 whole bay leaves
6 peppercorns
FOR THE MEATBALLS:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds)
3/4 cup canned evaporated milk
1 large egg, beaten
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
3/4 cup quick Quaker Oats
flour
POTATOES:
2 potatoes per serving
THICKENING:
2 cups evaporated milk remainder of can used for meatballs
1 1/4 cups flour
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 large eggs, beaten
5 tablespoons vinegar, mix in warm soup

Bring the soup ingredients to a boil and keep on medium heat for 15 minutes or so.

TO MAKE THE MEATBALLS:
Mix together the beef, the 3/4 cup evaporated milk, and 1 beaten egg, and the 2 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add the Quaker Oats and the 1 teaspoon minced onion. Mix meatballs thoroughly.

Form into approximately 11-12 meatballs. Roll lightly in flour. Then drop meatballs into soup and cook well (25 minutes).

TO PREPARE THE POTATOES:
Boil potatoes separately. Drain, reserving the potato water, and keep warm. If the soup is too thick, the potato water can be added to the soup to make it thinner.

TO THICKEN THE SOUP:
Beat all the thickening ingredients together except for the vinegar. Gradually add some hot soup to the thickening before adding the thickening to the soup. Then slowly mix into the soup the 5 tablespoons of cider vinegar.

TO SERVE:
Add cooked potatoes to soup, and it's ready to eat!

*NOTE: Parsley has most flavor if 1/3 of it is added to the soup, and the remainder is added with the thickening (avoids over boiling it)