Tag Archives: Carrots

Recipes - Soups, Stews, & Chowders

Cold Weather Vegetable Beef Soup

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Disclaimer: I have already posted a recipe for Vegetable Beef Soup, but because I made it differently this time around, and because I want to be more active with my blog, today I am bring back this especially-good-in-winter soup. The photo of the ingredients in the pics above is correct, but for the recipe in today’s bubbling soup pot, I added more vegetables (corn and lima beans). In my opinion, a good soup recipe is one that is versatile and allows the freedom to add or subtract ingredients according to what the cook has on hand, so here is the recipe, revised, below.

One thing that doesn’t change is that I always make this soup after I have cooked a beef roast and have meat left over. I knew I would be cooking up this particular pot of soup after hosting our annual “Class of ’67 and Friends” party at my house this month. I buy a roast large enough to feed the dozen of us around the table (the roast featured in French Dip Sandwiches on party night) and one I know is also sufficient for a large pot of Vegetable Beef Soup. You can’t go wrong that way as several meals result from one six pound roast. What could be easier?

Today is a perfect day to enjoy this soup here in our corner of southern Missouri. It is sunny and bright outside, but, oh-so-cold. Check your freezer for any leftover roast (or get to the store if you must), and bubble up this delicious rich soup, filled with the vegetables of your choice, and laden with chunks of your leftover roast. Use the saved broth in which the roast cooked if you have it for even more savory spoonfuls; your taste buds will thank you! The featured pic is of today’s recipe variation. Warm Soup, Warm Heart!

Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients

1 T. vegetable oil
3/4 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak or beef top round steak, cut 1/2” cubes
3 cups V8 100% Vegetable Juice
1-3/4 cups beef broth
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup potato, cut into cubes
1/2 cup carrot
1/2 cup onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup celery, sliced thick
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup canned or frozen lima beans
Shredded cabbage, to taste

Directions Heat the oil in a 4-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until it is well-browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat. Stir the vegetable juice, broth, Italian seasonings, pepper, potato, carrot, onion, celery, corn and lima beans into the saucepot and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the vegetables and meat are tender. If you want a thinner broth, add water as soup cooks. Adjust seasonings to taste.

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Recipes - Side Dishes

Custard Baked Mac-n-Cheese with Gingered Carrots

I’m going to post recipes for both dishes here not because I’m that lazy but because both are simple recipes that don’t require much direction and because I enjoyed them together for supper and am thinking you might like to as well so you’re getting a 2-for-1 tonight! The idea for a meatless supper was more a necessity than anything else since the country ham is gone, the pork sausage used up, and the chicken on hold for tomorrow! The idea was a sound one, however, as with these two dishes I had a satisfying and filling supper on the table in just 45 minutes. All I needed was the last two biscuits from yesterday drizzled with honey and it was supper time!

The macaroni, as found in my “Missouri to Maui’ cookbook adapted from James Villas wonderful recipe collection, “My Mother’s Southern Kitchen”, has evolved into my only mac-n-cheese recipe of late. The creaminess of the custard is a great contrast with both the sharp cheddar and the chewy al dente texture of the macaroni. So many mac-n-cheese dishes are heavy with flour-based sauces that overwhelm the elemental flavors of the macaroni and the sharp cheese but this simple custard allows those two ingredients to star equally here. Do buy a block of good sharp cheese and slice it thin; no using prepackaged rubbery cheese for this dish. There’s nothing easier and nothing that nets you so much bang for your buck.

James Villas’ mama also supplied the recipe for tonight’s Gingered Carrots. A simple prep for the carrots then boiling them until fork tender. Drain then return them to the sauce pot and toss in the flavorful ginger and fruit juice glaze. I used both fresh orange and lemon juices tonight because that is what I had and love the tanginess of the glaze balanced with the plain carrots. The glaze is plentiful so serve it liberally. You can make the glaze for the carrots as the macaroni bakes and you’re done! Lots of “stick to your ribs” goodness here for another chilly winter night.  Add biscuits!

 Custard Baked Mac-n-Cheese

Ingredients

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
Salt
1-(8 oz.) block New York State sharp cheddar cheese, very thinly sliced (not grated)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk plus a little more
Paprika

Directions Preheat oven to 350. Cook the macaroni in salted water according to package directions and drain in colander. Arrange half the macaroni in a 2-qt casserole. Place half the cheese over the top and arrange the remaining macaroni over the cheese. In small bowl, beat the eggs with 1/2 cup milk; pour over the casserole. Top with the remaining cheese slices and add just enough milk to cover all the macaroni but not the top layer of cheese. Sprinkle lightly with paprika then bake until the custard is firm and the top browned, 20-30 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting into squares or scooping into bowls for serving.

Gingered Carrots

Ingredients
1 lb. carrots, peeled, cut 1/2-inch rounds
1 T. butter
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions Place carrots in a saucepan with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly, and cook til the carrots are just tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the carrots in a colander. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then add the sugar, cornstarch, salt, ginger, and pepper and stir well. Add the orange juice stirring, bring to a boil, and cook until thickened, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the drained carrots and stir until well coated with the glaze. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

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Recipes - Soups, Stews, & Chowders

Beef Stew

It took all of ten seconds to decide on today’s post. With weather forecast for temperatures to “climb” barely above freezing, beef stew was the only option. Double checking with mama on what she might enjoy for her “after supper snack” tonight, her eyes lit up when I mentioned beef stew and cornbread, so I knew I was on the right track. There isn’t a dish more warming than flavorful stew with a slice of crusty cornbread even if you are planning to wash it down with a big glass of cold milk! Winter wonderland indeed!

The secret to a good beef stew is in the long slow cooking. You want your stew meat tender enough to cut with a fork and your vegetables just tender. Today I did dust my meat with a little seasoned flour, shaking it up in a paper sack with salt and pepper before browning it; this enhances the flavor of the beef and provides extra richness to your broth. Some cooks add stewed tomatoes, some add peas or substitute turnips for the potatoes, some enhance the broth with cooking wine and all of those options are fine; the dish is versatile enough to make the stew your own by adding vegetables and flavorings of your choice. My beef stew is a basic “Missouri-winter-stick-to-our-ribs” dish that is simple and full-bodied, with broth just made for sopping with your cornbread. Don’t over cook your vegetables or allow them to become mushy; 25-30 minutes is fine, over low heat, to soften them. You will need to add more water or beef stock once you add your vegetables; use only enough to create the amount of broth you want.  You can also adjust the amount of the flour-water mixture you add at the end and thicken the broth to your own liking.

If you’re as country as we are, you’ll want to save a slice of that cornbread for crumbling into a cold glass of your left over buttermilk for ‘smooshing up’ and eating with a spoon long about midnight; always one of my mom and daddy’s favorite snacks! As with most soups and stews, this one tastes even better the next day if you have any left.  You will have to give a few hours to tending it, but you can then enjoy it for several meals.

Beef Stew

Ingredients

1 T. cooking oil
1 lb. boneless beef chuck, tip or round roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1” pieces
1 large potato, peeled, cut into 1 1/2’ pieces
1 medium stalk celery, cut into 1” pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 cup cold water
2 T. flour
1-2 tsp. fresh parsley, snipped

Directions In 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes. Add beef; cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown on all sides. Add the water, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until beef is almost tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except cold water and flour. Add more water or beef broth until you reach the amount of gravy you want. Cover; cook another 30 minutes or so until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf. In tightly covered jar, combine cold water and flour and shake well to blend thoroughly; gradually stir mixture into the stew. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and stir 1 minute more until thickened. Remove from heat and sprinkle with fresh parsley.  Serve piping hot.

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Recipes - Soups, Stews, & Chowders

Beef Barley Soup

Beef Barley Soup

I do guarantee that today’s post is the end of the ‘what to do with left over roast beef’ recipes, but, after discovering a few thick slices of the roast in the fridge yesterday, I knew today’s choice had to be a pot of Beef Barley Soup. When the temperature doesn’t get out of the 30’s all day, it is definitely soup and cornbread time. For lunch AND for supper because this soup only gets better as it sits, allowing the flavors to mingle.  It also reheats well the next day.

The barley’s rich nut-like flavor adds a robust pop to the broth in addition to the beef stock and red cooking wine and it also  serves as a thickener for the liquid, providing another layer of texture to the tender vegetables. Nothing fancy here as the vegetables are those you likely already have on hand: potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, and cabbage. Feel free to add vegetables of your choosing or to omit any I have listed; the recipe is versatile in that way.  The pieces of left over roast beef make for a savory dish all around, really a meal in itself, and just  one hour start to finish if you bake up the cornbread muffins while the soup simmers.  Nothing to do then but  sit down and enjoy with gusto and be happy you did!

Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups beef-flavored stock
3/4 cup barley
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 cup red cooking wine
2 cups potatoes, peeled & cubed
2 cups leftover roast beef, diced
1-1/2 cups cabbage, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the oil, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic; sauté for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the beef stock, barley, bay leaf and thyme and simmer until barley is softened but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Add the wine, potatoes and beef; simmer another 15 minutes and add the cabbage. Allow to simmer another 15 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

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Recipes - Soups, Stews, & Chowders

Vegetable Beef Soup

Vegetable Beef Soup to serve

One of the nicest things about preparing an Italian Beef Roast, aside from it being used for French Dip Sandwiches the first time around, is using the leftover roast for Vegetable Beef Soup. You can use your roast for another meal by preparing this hearty soup, and, if the day is overcast and chilly, all the better, for this soup will definitely warm your tummy AND your kitchen.

I used the recipe from my cookbook today to prepare this soup but did add 3/4 cup of the left over au jus broth from the roast for added flavor since it was available and I knew it would enhance the store-bought beef broth listed in the recipe; I also added a can of stewed tomatoes, snipped small, because I wanted to stretch my servings as the soup is for sharing tonight with my mom and her friends. Because the meat was already cooked, it didn’t need to be sauteed before beginning. Once the soup finished cooking, a quick stirring up of my favorite garlic and red pepper-flavored croutons, using French bread also left from this week’s dinner party, found both lunch and supper ready, waiting, and tempting.

You can substitute vegetables of your choice as the V8 juice base of this soup allows for many possibilities. I sometimes add lima beans, corn, or peas but today wanted to follow the cookbook recipe as closely as possible. You might also like a pan of cornbread in place of croutons; just about anything you fancy works easily with this recipe. Thirty minutes of prep work and thirty minutes of cooking and you can call everybody to the table!

Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients

1 T. vegetable oil
3/4 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak or beef top round steak, cut 1/2” cubes
3 cups V8 100% Vegetable Juice
1-3/4 cups beef broth
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup potato, cut into cubes
1/2 cup carrot
1/2 cup onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup celery, sliced thick
Shredded cabbage, to taste

Directions Heat the oil in a 4-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until it is well-browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat. Stir the vegetable juice, broth, thyme, pepper, potato, carrot, onion and celery in the sauce pot and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the vegetables and meat are tender. If you want a thinner broth, add water as soup cooks.

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