Want a family recipe for a yummy, filling soup? Keep reading for mine, one that's a constant staple in the Anthony household! Delicious, easy beef and vegetable soup. Pop it on and let it simmer away till done and you have a fabulous meal. Even better, it can be converted to vegetarian and loses none of its yumminess!
Who doesn't love a steaming bowl of soup? There's something about it that's special, especially if it's home made. The recipe I'm sharing is an old family favourite. It's been tested out on the most critical of subjects, kids and teenagers, who can eat a huge pot of it in two days, because they love it so much.
Mum, we've run out of soup again! – the Teenage Anthonys' constant refrain...
When I was a child, one enduring memory I had is of my dad cooking . Mum cooked the weekday meals for the family, but on Sundays, my dad would take over the kitchen for hours, making his Beef and Vegetable soup. The soup had a number of iterations, but at its core was his care and attention. My dad wouldn't leave it alone. He'd watch it and taste it as it simmered for hours, till it was a steaming bowl of hearty perfection.
I didn't appreciate the soup as a child. To me, it seemed very grown up, all thick and chunky with its rich flavours. As an adult, and after my mum died, I'd go over to visit my father and he'd often present me with a bowl of his soup for lunch with some dark, buttered rye bread. It's a meal of memories, and nostalgia. I asked my dad how he made it and was happy for the lesson he gave me. I sat in dad's kitchen for a long afternoon as he showed me what he did. There was no real recipe, just a dash of this, a pinch of that. A little bit different every time it was made.
Always made with love.
When dad died, I started making the soup in his memory. It's hearty and thick. Full of vegetables and beans. A hug in a bowl and a complete meal if you want it to be. A healthy meal too. My kids loved it when they first tried it. They named it "Dziadzio's Soup" because Dziadzio is Polish for grandfather and my dad was Polish. If you want to know how to pronounce the word, you can go to the link here, which is the best approximation.
Now my kids are getting older, it's time to write the soup recipe down. One day they'll move out of home and whilst I'm happy to show them how to make it like my dad did for me, it's a recipe that needs its own place in a family recipe book, not just held in my head. Because it's so good (well, I think so) I've decided to share it with you! I've left tips and suggestions at the end of the recipe below, where asterisked.
Whilst the soup takes a while to actually cook, low and slow, it's a convenient meal because in the end, everything goes into one pot, and then bubbles away for a few hours whilst you do other things, till it's a steaming bowl of goodness. This recipe makes enough for a large saucepan. About three litres. I overfilled my saucepan as you can see from the pictures! If you want less, just halve the recipe.
I make a huge pot because when I'm busy writing, the family can help themselves. I use prepackaged soup vegetables when I'm time poor. They're a real time saver. Anything to get the meal on the table, or in my kids' hungry stomachs! Some time is spent in browning the beef. Don't miss this step if you can help it. It adds a gorgeous, rich flavour to the soup and is really worth the extra time spent early, to achieve the perfect bowl. Once done, the soup is delicious served with crusty, buttered bread. I hope, if you make it, that you love it as much as we do. As they say in Polish... Smacznego!
Dziadzio's (or Kali's!) Easy Beef and Vegetable Soup
Preparation time 30 minutes (depending on vegetables). Cooking time, 2 - 2.5 hours.
Makes one large pot. About eight servings.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive (or other) oil
800 grams gravy/stewing beef in a 2.5 cm dice (I prefer oyster blade)*
2, 400 gram packages of pre-prepared soup vegetables (or if starting from whole vegetables: 1 large onion, 1 leek (white part - sliced), 1 large potato, 2 large carrots, 2 large stalks celery with leaves, 1 parsnip and 1 medium turnip - diced)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
250 grams mushrooms, sliced
1.5 litres beef stock*
1 tablespoon bouillon/stock powder*
400 gram can of cannellini or butter beans, drained
2 bay leaves**
1 tablespoon mixed herbs **
Directions
Cut beef to a 2.5 cm dice. Dice vegetables if using whole ones to prepare. The soup is great chunky. I tend cut my veg to a 1.5cm dice (see picture above for a guide).
In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan heat some olive or other oil. Sear the meat in batches till well browned and set aside. Lower heat and add the onion. Fry until softened. Add the garlic and cook for around one more minute or until fragrant.
Return the meat to the pan with any juices. Add the soup vegetables, mushrooms, bay leaves, herbs stock and bouillon powder (or to taste). The stock should cover the meat and vegetables. Add more if it doesn't.
Bring the soup to a boil. Once it begins to boil immediately reduce the heat to a low simmer. Add the cannellini/butter beans and stir to combine. Cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat for two hours. During this period I occasionally check the soup but there have been some times when I've been busy and simply leave it to its own devices.
After two hours, check the soup and the seasoning. If it's not seasoned enough for you, you can add some salt. I like the soup to be quite thick so if it has a little too much liquid I turn the heat up and cook for another half hour with the lid off on a vigorous simmer till it reduces.***
Serve in a big bowl with crusty bread and, voila! The soup really does make a complete meal if you want it to. As for the rest, store it in containers in your refrigerator or freeze it. The soup tastes even better if it's sat in the fridge for a day and the flavours mature.
I'd love your comments about the soup if you make it, and would be happy to answer any questions if you have them. You can see my photo of the finished product, which I've served with pumpkin and soy pane de casa from the local grocers (Coles, if you live in Australia).
Well that's it for me. I hope you enjoy and make a big pot of your own. But for now, stay safe and sparkle! Love, Kali.
TIPS
*For a vegetarian/vegan: leave out the beef, increase the bean content by adding another can of beans or some fresh green beans, and make sure your stock and bouillon powder is a vegetarian option.
** My daughter is not a fan of too many herbs, however if you want to increase the selection you use, or use fresh, go for it. Make this soup your own!
*** If you want the soup even thicker, at the end you can take a potato masher and crush the vegetables a bit. Just a few squashes of the masher to break the potatoes down. That is what my dad always did.
Some people would suggest seasoning the meat with salt before you brown it. I'm trying to reduce my sodium intake so now don't. I don't add pepper because my daughter doesn't like it. It's delicious if you do!
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