Czech Cabbage Soup 2 pounds of beef soup bones 1 cup of onion; chopped 3 carrots, pared & chopped 1 Bay leaf 2 pounds of beef short ribs 1 teaspoon of thyme (dried leaf) 1/2 teaspoon of paprika 8 cups of water 8 cups of Cabbage, chopped (1 head) 2 pounds of tomatoes; (2 cans) 2 teaspoons of salt 3/4 cup of Tabasco sauce 1/4 cup of parsley, chopped 3 tablespoons of lemon juice 3 tablespoons of sugar 1 pound of sauerkraut (1 can)

Place beef bones, onion, carrots, garlic and bay leaf in roasting pan. Top with short ribs; sprinkle with thyme and paprika. Roast, uncovered, in 450ºF.  oven for 20-30 minutes or until meat is brown. Transfer meat and vegetables into large kettle. Using a small amount of water, scrape browned meat bits from roasting pan into kettle. Add water, cabbage, tomatoes, salt and Tabasco. Bring to boil. Cover; simmer 1 1/2 hours. Skim off fat. Add parsley, lemon juice, sugar and sauerkraut. Cook, uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove bones and short ribs from kettle. Cool slightly; remove meat from bones. Cut meat into cubes; return to kettle. Cook 5 minutes longer.

(From a Texas cook now unknown) From Geminis MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini