Have you ever had a dish that surprisingly brought you back to a memory of your youth? I was once in Frankfurt Germany on business in the 1990’s. We arrived late at night and I hadn’t had dinner. I ordered a potato soup in my room and was amazed that it tasted just like the “Hot Dog Soup” that my next-door neighbor Eva Walters used to make in the 1960’s.

As kids we all loved the hot dogs, but what gave it the flavor and more importantly the fantastic texture were the potatoes. This soup reminded me of my youth and the fact that it was the potato that made the soup surprised me. This soup is also very easy to make and works great as a first course for a supper club dinner party. (See the recipe)

Our neighbors, the Walters, were German. Mr. Walter had been a U-Boat captain during the war. His submarine had got stranded on a sand bar and he spent most the war in a British prisoner of war camp. I will never forget spending a Christmas Eve with the Walters where when there was conversation about European travel and Mr. Walter went on at length about how we had to go to Norway because the people are so friendly there. That night walking home my dad said to me: “Of course he thinks that Norwegians are friendly, the last time he was there he had a sub machine gun around his neck”. Mr. Walter had been part of the German occupation stationed in Norway during the early part of the war.

Note: Pinterest pin From Fran Rita

As it turns out, my father who was Irish loved things German. Of course he loved my mother who was German, but he also loved German food, music and the language. His older brother was a Catholic priest and when my dad was young “Father Pat” was in a monastery in pre-war Germany. Dad learned German so he could converse with his brother. When I was a kid, my parents travelled to Germany and I heard constantly about how wonderful Germany was.

Fast-forward to the 1990’s and I spent a lot of time in Germany on business with Kraft Foods. I once called home to my mom complaining about the Germans. Contrary to what my father had said, the Germans were no fun. In business, it was their way or the highway. It was almost as if they had lost the war, but they were going to make Americans pay for their loss. My mom, ever the cool head, let me vent and then asked: “Where in Germany are you?” I told her Bremen and Hamburg. “Ahah” she said: “That explains it, you are in the north, our family is from the south. People are a lot friendlier in the south”. It is funny, but my friends in Memphis, love this story.

As we head into the colder months of the year, soup is a wonderful first course for your supper club dinner party. Try out this recipe for  Potato, Leek and Broccoli Soup with Hot Dogs. Your guests will love it, even without any sub-machine guns.

Photo Credit: Rose & Ivy

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