Oh dear heavens. Guys...the recipe I'm sharing today? Is nothing short of amazing. It's kind of an all day long process, so when Gram makes it, it's a special treat! And the reason for today's treat?
ME! Happy birthday to me! :)
Well, and you, too...'cuz we've wanted to share this one since we started "In the Kitchen with Gram"!
We were talking and I told Gram that, really, this should be called "Root Vegetable Soup"...'cuz it ain't got none of them there other nasty veggies in it. Lima beans? Nope. Green beans? Nuh uh. Peas? Negatory. Just potatoes, carrots, and rutabaga...and cabbage! (For the record, I don't have anything against green beans and/or peas...I just don't like 'em in my soup. Amen.)
My 11 year old loves this soup just as much as me (and Grandpa...it's his fave too!) and the other kids gobbled it right up. So, it IS kid friendly!
Alright, first thing in the morning, put your soup bone and beef roast in the biggest dang pot you've got (we used a 7 qt pot and it was just barely big enough! bigger if you've got it!), cover with water, season well with a "Gram handful" of salt and pepper. (Gram handful can be seen below, with the addition of sugar.)
Add some onion:
Simmer it for hours.
Add water when it starts to cook down too much:
And keep simmering.
After a couple of hours (or right away, it won't hurt) break out your trusty tea steeper ball thingamajig (note to self: get one immediately) and fill one side generously with black pepper corn and the other side with about 12-15 whole allspice. Close it, and plop it in the soup, using the little hangar thing to hang it on the side of the pot.
You could also tie the allspice/pepper corns in cheesecloth and toss it in...containing them in something means you don't have to fish them out when you're ready to serve or always be on the lookout for a stray allspice in your bowl of soup.
When the roast has simmered for several hours, (and about 3 hours before you're ready to serve it) remove it from the broth in the pot, allow it to cool slightly while you dice up carrots, potatoes, and rutabaga and slice up a head of cabbage.
A quick history lesson for you...this cutting board? My grandpa made it for my great-grandma when he was in 9th or 10th grade. Whoa. That right there? Is some good craftsmanship. It's probably almost 70 years old!
Anyway, I digress...after the meat has cooled enough to handle, remove any meat from soup bone and dice roast into small pieces.
Add meat back in.
Now, add in the diced rutabaga:
And return to a boil.
Then add in the diced carrot:
And return to a boil.
Next up, diced potato:
And...return to a boil.
Finally, you're going to add in a whole head of sliced cabbage...you'll likely have to add it in "batches" as it needs to cook down to allow room for the rest! (This was 1/2 of the cabbage...and yes, we did fit the whole head in eventually!)
Cabbage, all fit in!
Add water as needed, remembering to season as you go. And, as always, add some sugar to enhance the flavors:
Yum.
Seriously, the best soup. When you know you're going to be able to devote some time to a meal, do this. Technically easy, but time consuming, you will LOVE it.
Enjoy!
Gram's Vegetable Beef Soup
Printable Recipe
2 beef soup bones
1 3 (approx) pound beef roast (can be a "cheap" roast, you'll cook the heck out of it.)
1 large rutabaga, peeled and diced
8 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
8 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 large head of cabbage, sliced
1 T black peppercorn
12-15 whole allspice
1 "gram handful" of sugar (about a tablespoon)
Salt and pepper to taste (start with a "gram handful" of each)
Wyler's Beef granules, if needed, to taste
Water
First thing in the morning, place your soup bones and beef roast in a great big pot and cover with water. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for several hours, add in the allspice and peppercorns (contain them in something, tea steeper thingamajig, cheesecloth, etc...) after a couple of hours of simmering the beef. If you have peeled your veggies ahead of time, keep them in cool water to prevent them from turning colors. About 3 hours before you're ready to serve, remove soup bones and beef roast from broth, set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove as much meat as you can from the bones and dice up the roast. Add in rutabagas to broth, return to boil, add in carrots, return to boil, add in potatoes and meat and return to boil. About 1 hour before serving, add in sliced cabbage, you'll probably need to add it in "batches" until it cooks down enough to fit it all in! (Hence, why you need an uber large pot.) You will likely need to add in water from time to time as the soup cooks down...keep adding water as needed, a couple of cups at a time, as this makes your broth and the broth in this soup is out of this world! Taste near the end, if it needs a "beefier boost" add in some Wyler's beef granules to taste (start with a gram handful and go from there). Serve with warm bread and you will be in 7th heaven. Yum.
ME! Happy birthday to me! :)
Well, and you, too...'cuz we've wanted to share this one since we started "In the Kitchen with Gram"!
We were talking and I told Gram that, really, this should be called "Root Vegetable Soup"...'cuz it ain't got none of them there other nasty veggies in it. Lima beans? Nope. Green beans? Nuh uh. Peas? Negatory. Just potatoes, carrots, and rutabaga...and cabbage! (For the record, I don't have anything against green beans and/or peas...I just don't like 'em in my soup. Amen.)
My 11 year old loves this soup just as much as me (and Grandpa...it's his fave too!) and the other kids gobbled it right up. So, it IS kid friendly!
Alright, first thing in the morning, put your soup bone and beef roast in the biggest dang pot you've got (we used a 7 qt pot and it was just barely big enough! bigger if you've got it!), cover with water, season well with a "Gram handful" of salt and pepper. (Gram handful can be seen below, with the addition of sugar.)
Add some onion:
Simmer it for hours.
Add water when it starts to cook down too much:
And keep simmering.
After a couple of hours (or right away, it won't hurt) break out your trusty tea steeper ball thingamajig (note to self: get one immediately) and fill one side generously with black pepper corn and the other side with about 12-15 whole allspice. Close it, and plop it in the soup, using the little hangar thing to hang it on the side of the pot.
You could also tie the allspice/pepper corns in cheesecloth and toss it in...containing them in something means you don't have to fish them out when you're ready to serve or always be on the lookout for a stray allspice in your bowl of soup.
When the roast has simmered for several hours, (and about 3 hours before you're ready to serve it) remove it from the broth in the pot, allow it to cool slightly while you dice up carrots, potatoes, and rutabaga and slice up a head of cabbage.
A quick history lesson for you...this cutting board? My grandpa made it for my great-grandma when he was in 9th or 10th grade. Whoa. That right there? Is some good craftsmanship. It's probably almost 70 years old!
Anyway, I digress...after the meat has cooled enough to handle, remove any meat from soup bone and dice roast into small pieces.
Add meat back in.
Now, add in the diced rutabaga:
And return to a boil.
Then add in the diced carrot:
And return to a boil.
Next up, diced potato:
And...return to a boil.
Finally, you're going to add in a whole head of sliced cabbage...you'll likely have to add it in "batches" as it needs to cook down to allow room for the rest! (This was 1/2 of the cabbage...and yes, we did fit the whole head in eventually!)
Cabbage, all fit in!
Add water as needed, remembering to season as you go. And, as always, add some sugar to enhance the flavors:
Yum.
Seriously, the best soup. When you know you're going to be able to devote some time to a meal, do this. Technically easy, but time consuming, you will LOVE it.
Enjoy!
Gram's Vegetable Beef Soup
Printable Recipe
2 beef soup bones
1 3 (approx) pound beef roast (can be a "cheap" roast, you'll cook the heck out of it.)
1 large rutabaga, peeled and diced
8 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
8 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 large head of cabbage, sliced
1 T black peppercorn
12-15 whole allspice
1 "gram handful" of sugar (about a tablespoon)
Salt and pepper to taste (start with a "gram handful" of each)
Wyler's Beef granules, if needed, to taste
Water
First thing in the morning, place your soup bones and beef roast in a great big pot and cover with water. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for several hours, add in the allspice and peppercorns (contain them in something, tea steeper thingamajig, cheesecloth, etc...) after a couple of hours of simmering the beef. If you have peeled your veggies ahead of time, keep them in cool water to prevent them from turning colors. About 3 hours before you're ready to serve, remove soup bones and beef roast from broth, set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove as much meat as you can from the bones and dice up the roast. Add in rutabagas to broth, return to boil, add in carrots, return to boil, add in potatoes and meat and return to boil. About 1 hour before serving, add in sliced cabbage, you'll probably need to add it in "batches" until it cooks down enough to fit it all in! (Hence, why you need an uber large pot.) You will likely need to add in water from time to time as the soup cooks down...keep adding water as needed, a couple of cups at a time, as this makes your broth and the broth in this soup is out of this world! Taste near the end, if it needs a "beefier boost" add in some Wyler's beef granules to taste (start with a gram handful and go from there). Serve with warm bread and you will be in 7th heaven. Yum.
That's awesome!! We love soup here and I can't believe I never thought to toss cabbage in. I love my tea ball thingamabob too! I use it to make our apple cider ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm not a beef person, I am SO a soup person and this really sounds like a pasty made into soup, and I do love pasties (They are food of MY roots taking trips to Upper Michigan when I was a kid) It does look Goooood!
ReplyDelete