Column: Fall is a good time for soup

A hearty soup and homemade bread or rolls make an excellent meal for chilly fall days which will soon be upon us. Some like soups all summer too, but this rich one seems best suited to the cooler days ahead. I was very pleased to receive permission to include this one from Linda C. who attributes it to her mother Millie V. Bartek. It is a Czech family recipe Linda says her family greatly enjoys. It also brings back fond memories for Linda of her mother's wonderful home cooking.

Kiselica

Kiselica means sour soup. Linda remembers it with homemade garlic pork sausage, but feels Kielbasa is a good optional choice. Though it can be made without the sausage, I agree with Linda that the Kielbasa will add a delicious taste and body to the soup. Her husband doesn't like the sour taste of vinegar or sauerkraut juice so she doesn't add it to her soup, and instead uses the hot pepper vinegar at the table to add the spicy sour taste she and her children like.

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

3 cloves of garlic peeled and minced

2 tablespoons bacon fat*

5 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

1 pound Kielbasa, sliced

1/2 cup flour

1 pint whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons vinegar or 1/2 cup sauerkraut juice or hot pepper vinegar at table

In a large pot saute onion and garlic in bacon fat until clear but not browned. Add potatoes, dill and Kielbasa and sufficient water to cover generously. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are done. Test for salt and add if necessary. Carefully blend flour and cream until smooth, then add to the soup, stirring so no lumps form. Bring to a boil and serve. If desired, add either the vinegar or sauerkraut juice. Again, test for salt and pepper, adding as necessary. Serve hot.

*Bacon fat adds a nice flavor to this and several other dishes, but will turn rancid if refrigerated for any length of time. A couple of tablespoons of bacon fat, after being refrigerated, can be frozen on a baking sheet and placed in a freezer bag until needed.

Pepper Vinegar

This type of vinegar is used with Cajun cooking also. However, the Cajun uses small hot yellow peppers and the vinegar is white. Other hot peppers can be used in this recipe. As the vinegar is used, more is just added to top it off.

1 cup fresh or dried thin hot red peppers, about

1 cup or more cider vinegar

Fill a cruet full of peppers. Bring vinegar to a boil and pour over the peppers to cover. Allow to season for a few days to develop the spicy taste. This vinegar will keep indefinitely. As you use some, top off the cruet with more vinegar at room temperature.

Hot Fudge Butterscotch Sundae Cake

This is a quick dessert to prepare, and can be prepared ahead shortly before dinner up to the point of pouring on the hot water. Time baking to 55 minutes before serving time, pour on hot water and bake so it is ready to serve when you want it.

1 cup flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1-3/4 cups very hot water

ice cream of your choice

In an ungreased square baking pan, 9x9x2 inches, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, first 2 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt. Mix in milk, oil and vanilla with a fork until smooth. Stir in butterscotch chips. Spread evenly in the pan. Combine brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa. Sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over the batter. Do not stir. Bake 40 minutes in a preheated 350F oven. Let stand 15 minutes. Spoon onto dessert plates and top with ice cream.

Quaker Oats 11th Annual Recipe Contest runs through Nov. 30, and must be received by Dec. 6. Categories are A. Easy, Everyday Favorites, B. Lower-Fat Favorites, C. Kid Favorites. Recipes must be original, a cookie, quick bread, dessert, main dish or side dish. Cookies must have 2 cups of oatmeal, all others 1 cup. No more than 12 ingredients excluding water and salt. Oats may not be ground. A proof of purchase is necessary, and recipes submitted on an 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper to Quaker Oatmeal Recipe Contest, P.O. Box 3305, Chicago, IL 60654 or e-mail to OatContest@aol.com or online www.quakeroatmeal.com.

(Need a recipe? Have a cooking question? E-mail NVAda2@aol.com or write Ada Roelke, The Nevada Appeal, 200 Bath St., Carson City 89702.)