So, given it’s a bit of a dreary day, I decided veggie-beef soup would be good. Found two recipes* and while neither one was exactly what I wanted, I figured it was a good enough base to work with. Though I am eating the results right now, let’s just say it’s not quite there just yet. The afternoon went a bit like this:
Mince, mince, chop, peel, dice, MEDIC!! (Garlic, onion, carrots, potatoes.) The new santoku knife is now officially broken in, as evidenced by the band-aid on my left hand.
Slice, slice, slice. Why can’t I ever find beef in a pound package when I actually only need a pound But then again, can you have too much beef in beef soup? The new chef’s knife is awesome.
Toss the beef in a bit of pan searing flour, brown it with the onions & garlic. OMG, smells heavenly.
Add water, beef stock, some worchestershire and red wine and everything else. Add oregano, basil, thyme, pepper, bay leaf, couple grinds of sea salt, parsley. Quick taste, ACK, TOO MUCH PARSLEY - emergency skimming ensues.
Bring to boil. Let simmer. Stir and taste repeatedly. Something not quite right, can’t put my finger on it. Not bad, just not quite right. Too beef stock-y maybe? Who knows.
45 minutes passes. Bring back to boil, Add 8 oz mini shell pasta, let go for about 10 minutes.
Discover there isn’t enough liquid once the pasta is cooked. Cussing ensues as I search the kitchen for anything besides water. 1 can chicken stock! Add that, stir and I think I have taken care of the “too beef stock-y” issue. However, it’s kinda washed out the spices. Damn!
Overall, it’s not bad, but still a work in progress. I did write down everything I did as I went along. Next time, another can of chicken stock, probably skip the water altogether, toss in some peas, maybe lose the parsley.
Thing is, with spring here, the chances of my making this again before Halloween are pretty slim. Hopefully I’ll remember to find my notes next time around.
* - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Vegetable-Beef-Soup/Detail.aspx and http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegetable-Beef-Soup-2/Detail.aspx
