Saturday, September 03, 2005
Vegetable Soup
One of my comfort foods is vegetable soup. In the 1960s, Dad would leave on a job early Monday morning for southern Illinois to describe coal cores and not return until Friday evening. Mom would often put a pot of soup on the stove and we'd eat on that all week. She'd keep it going during the week adding leftovers as she cooked. So...
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp cracked pepper medly (red, black, white peppercorns)
2 to 3 bay leaves
2 beef bouillon cubes
worchestershire sauce to taste
dash hot sauce (like Tabasco or Louisiana)
1 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatos
1 larger can diced tomatos
1 big can tomato juice
2 medium white potatoes
2 lbs frozen mixed vegetables
1.5 lbs round steak, chuck steak, etc (approx. weight) cubed
On the ingredients. I didn't forget salt; I just don't add any extra. As you cube the meat, trim off as much fat as possible. I get stewed tomatos because they have celery and green pepper. These are always good additions to the soup, but I prefer them in a quantity more as flavorings and spices than as main ingredients. You have a lot of choices for the frozen vegetables. The first choice is you can always go with fresh vegetables. At least one pound should be mixed carrots, (baby green) limas, corn, peas, and green beans. You can experiment with other mixtures; stir-frys with water chesnuts and peapods, broccoli, and others. If you like okra, go for it. Some vegetables like okra, squash, and zuchinni lose their texture after a couple of reheatings. Some stores offer a frozen vegetable soup mix. Mix and match, nothing is sacred here.
In a pot, combine the oregano, pepper, bouillon cubes, worchestershire, hot sauce, diced tomatos, and tomato juice. Add the stewed tomatos after you slice and dice them to bite-sized pieces. Stir and put this on a slow burner to bring it to a simmer. This is going to be thick and chunky so don't start it on too high a heat, you can scorch and burn it. Once it gets going, it's going to take about 2 to 3 hours of simmering to get right.
While the pot is starting to simmer, cube the meat. Trim off as much fat as you can (optional, but I like to do it). The amount of meat can vary: 1 pound is probably not enough and 2 pounds it too much. Check what is in your budget and what's on sale. Brown the meat in a skillet. I use high heat and a dash of olive oil. You can add a bit of pepper, garlic, onion (onion powder OK), or worchestershire.
Add the meat to the pot and clean your cutting board.
After the soup has started simmering (you did clean your cutting board, didn't you?), wash and dice the potatoes. I leave the skins on. Add the potatoes and vegetables to the pot. Bring it back to a simmer, stiring frequently. Once it's simmering, reduce the heat so that it just keeps simmering.
After 30 minutes or so, taste the soup. If it needs a little "something-something", add about half as much as you think might be needed. The soup is done, but is a bit "raw", when the potatoes are cooked through. The soup will improve with another hour or so of slow simmering, covered. Stir a bit just to make sure nothing is sticking.
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp cracked pepper medly (red, black, white peppercorns)
2 to 3 bay leaves
2 beef bouillon cubes
worchestershire sauce to taste
dash hot sauce (like Tabasco or Louisiana)
1 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatos
1 larger can diced tomatos
1 big can tomato juice
2 medium white potatoes
2 lbs frozen mixed vegetables
1.5 lbs round steak, chuck steak, etc (approx. weight) cubed
On the ingredients. I didn't forget salt; I just don't add any extra. As you cube the meat, trim off as much fat as possible. I get stewed tomatos because they have celery and green pepper. These are always good additions to the soup, but I prefer them in a quantity more as flavorings and spices than as main ingredients. You have a lot of choices for the frozen vegetables. The first choice is you can always go with fresh vegetables. At least one pound should be mixed carrots, (baby green) limas, corn, peas, and green beans. You can experiment with other mixtures; stir-frys with water chesnuts and peapods, broccoli, and others. If you like okra, go for it. Some vegetables like okra, squash, and zuchinni lose their texture after a couple of reheatings. Some stores offer a frozen vegetable soup mix. Mix and match, nothing is sacred here.
In a pot, combine the oregano, pepper, bouillon cubes, worchestershire, hot sauce, diced tomatos, and tomato juice. Add the stewed tomatos after you slice and dice them to bite-sized pieces. Stir and put this on a slow burner to bring it to a simmer. This is going to be thick and chunky so don't start it on too high a heat, you can scorch and burn it. Once it gets going, it's going to take about 2 to 3 hours of simmering to get right.
While the pot is starting to simmer, cube the meat. Trim off as much fat as you can (optional, but I like to do it). The amount of meat can vary: 1 pound is probably not enough and 2 pounds it too much. Check what is in your budget and what's on sale. Brown the meat in a skillet. I use high heat and a dash of olive oil. You can add a bit of pepper, garlic, onion (onion powder OK), or worchestershire.
Add the meat to the pot and clean your cutting board.
After the soup has started simmering (you did clean your cutting board, didn't you?), wash and dice the potatoes. I leave the skins on. Add the potatoes and vegetables to the pot. Bring it back to a simmer, stiring frequently. Once it's simmering, reduce the heat so that it just keeps simmering.
After 30 minutes or so, taste the soup. If it needs a little "something-something", add about half as much as you think might be needed. The soup is done, but is a bit "raw", when the potatoes are cooked through. The soup will improve with another hour or so of slow simmering, covered. Stir a bit just to make sure nothing is sticking.
