Wintery Vegetable Beef Soup
Well, it's official. It's FREEEEEEZING outside. The cold and the snow decided to takes their sweet time this year...and then slap us in the face. Hard and fast. Just last week it was a sorta pleasant 48 degrees. Now it is a very unpleasant 5 (-7 w/ wind chill) degrees. Sure, snow's pretty...but ice and slick roads with black ice...not so pretty. I actually like being enveloped in that big white hush. As long as I can stay home all cozy and warm and see it through my window. But the minute you have to send kids out to stand at the bus stop worrying the whole time whether or not they'll make it home with all of their fingers and toes, it ceases being pleasant. Oh, or the minute you have to get on the road with all of the morons who forgot in the last 8 or so months how to drive in the snow. Um, hello...we live in Northern Indiana. It snows every year. I wouldn't mind driving so much if there was NOBODY else on the roads. Never seem to get that lucky, though. But, imagine if you will a day where you're tucked inside the house and only know it's snot-freezing outdoors by the icicles you can see hanging from the barren trees through your window. Nobody has to leave...music is playing...blankets are strewn from every available chair, table and shelf to form a massive fort...and of course, the kitchen is beckoning! This is when I don't mind it so much. A big pot of soup...bubbling on the stove...that's the stuff baby. That's the stuff. *recipe* There. Nice and cozy. Indoors with a big, bowl of steaming soup. Can you see the ice on the window pain melting from the heat in the kitchen? I can.
Total Steps
9
Ingredients
22
Tools Needed
7
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 tablespoons oil
- 2 pounds beef chuck (or any tougher, stew-worthy cut)
- 1 quarts stock/broth/water
- 4 slices thick-cut, peppered bacon
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 large parsnips, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 2 large sticks celery, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1/4 head red cabbage, sliced thin
- 1/4 head green cabbage, sliced thin
- sprigs thyme
- sprigs parsley
- 2 each bay leaves
- 2 quarts stock/broth/water
- black pepper
- salt(optional)
- balsamic vinegar
- fresh Parmesan cheese
- fresh chopped herbs (for garnish)(optional)
Instructions
Step 1
Melt the butter with the oil in a large Dutch oven. Brown the beef well on all sides.
Step 2
Once all sides are browned, drain off any excess fat from the pan (more than a teaspoon) and add 1 quart of stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer gently until the meat is fork tender.
Step 3
When the beef is finished, transfer it to a large bowl with any juices and let cool until able to handle, then shred it.
Step 4
In the same pot you cooked the beef in, add the bacon and cook until just done. Remove the bacon, but leave the fat in the pan.
Step 5
Add the diced vegetables (sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, red cabbage, green cabbage) to the pot and cook until just beginning to soften.
Step 6
Add the shredded beef and reserved bacon back to the pot along with the thyme and parsley sprigs.
Step 7
Add 2 quarts stock (or more to just cover the ingredients) and simmer over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender.
Step 8
Let the soup sit, covered for at least an hour to allow the flavors to come together. Remove herb stems and bay leaves. Season with freshly cracked black pepper (and salt if needed, depends on the saltiness of the liquid used, so taste first).
Step 9
To serve, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top. Sprinkle with fresh, chopped herbs and more black pepper, if desired.