Make this hearty soup from NYT Cooking one day when you have a few hours to brown the meat, chop the vegetables and supervise a long simmer. Brown the meat and set aside. Cook the onion, celery, garlic and thyme and add tomato paste, wine, diced tomatoes, stock and water. Simmer for an hour and 15 minutes and then add the potatoes and cook until tender. Add the rest of the vegetables and simmer until they are tender. Season to taste and serve, garnished with parsley. Cook’s note: I omitted the parsley.
Avoiding Additives and Preservatives
I used Simple brand tomato paste, Unico diced tomatoes and Better Than Bouillon beef stock paste. All have no additives or preservatives. I used a red wine from Frogpond Farm with a sulfite level of less than 10 parts per million.
Beef vegetable soup
Ingredients:
1½ pounds (680 g) beef stew meat
Kosher salt and pepper
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
2 large celery stalks, diced
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml) dried thyme
2 tablespoons (30 ml) tomato paste
½ cup (125 ml) dry red wine (optional), or use water
1 (14-ounce/400 g) can diced tomatoes
1 quart (1 L) low-sodium beef stock or broth
2 cups (500 ml) water
2 medium russet potatoes (about 1 pound/454 g)
2 cups (500 ml) chopped mixed vegetables, such as green beans, corn, peas and carrots, frozen (unthawed) or fresh
½ cup (125 ml) chopped fresh chopped parsley, plus more for serving
Preparation:
Pat beef dry with paper towels. If necessary, cut into equal-size pieces (about 1½-inch/3.8-cm cubes). Season generously all over with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high. Add half of the beef in a single layer. Cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip beef and brown the second side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the remaining beef, transferring to the plate when finished.
Stir onion and celery into the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in wine and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits. Add tomatoes and their juices, the beef, beef stock, 2 cups (500 ml) water and 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a very low simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, occasionally opening the lid to stir and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a low simmer.
Meanwhile, after the soup has simmered for 1 hour, peel the potatoes and chop them into 1-inch cubes. After soup has simmered for 1 hour 15 minutes, stir in the diced potatoes; cover and cook the soup for an additional 15 minutes.
Stir in the frozen vegetables and return to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are just tender, 7 to 10 minutes more. Stir in parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon the soup into bowls and serve with a sprinkling of parsley and crushed butter crackers. Once cool, soup can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Serves 6.
From NYT Cooking
