Something sort of this-ish.
Pondered what I had in the freezer (high-grade vexed migtables) and the larder (an onion, a turnip and the possibility of beef stock), then hit the market in the way home. A couple of vine-ripe tomatoes (anyway, they're red-red, not pink-orange), a couple of potatoes, a mettwurst, a pound of very good beef, a little celery seed ('cos they had no snappy fresh celery and you do want a bit of it) and some just-in-case-I-was-wrong beef stock later, I was home, slaving over a hot stove:Slice the mettwurst, toss in the pot with a kiss of olive oil to brown; dice the steak while that's goin', then add it with a little salt and pepper. Dice the onion and barely brown it in a small skillet, then add to the meat with a splash of red wine. Cook it down and add stock to cover. Dice the turnip,* saute, add to the pot. (Top up the stock as needed throughout the process; it should simmer, short of a boil).
The potatoes, I microwaved for a couple of minutes, diced and into the pot, which is starting to smell gooood. But wait! Those lovely tomatoes! They'll never cook down in time. What to do? --There's a cheat. It sounds nutty, but if you dice them and saute in a little olive oil, with a dash of salt and whatever else strikes your fancy, just cook them 'til they are nice and soft, they'll go right in like they've been simmered for hours. Maybe better.
Finally, bring it to a boil. Add a bit more stock and frozen mixed vegetable and follow package directions: bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for n minutes. (In which n is a number greater than three but less than 15.)
Let it set a bit, then serve and season to taste. Ahhhh! Tam's bowl was empty quickly but I think I was quicker.Put the leftover soup (if any; I made extra on purpose) in the fridge -- it'll be even better the next day.
____________________________________
* Any really good vegetable-type soup has a little cabbage, rutabaga or turnip in it. I don't know why but it does make a difference.
Looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThat looks good, even at 4:50 in the am...Thanks for the pic's.
ReplyDeleteScott
Never been a big fan of the vegetable soups, preferring the noodle, rice, or barley types, but that does look yummisome.
ReplyDeleteIt was delicious. I hoovered my bowl in no time flat and only decorum kept me from licking it clean. I think the Mettwurst was the secret ingredient that put it over the top.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the sort of soups I like to put together.
ReplyDeleteLooks good! The Mettwurst looks like it should make up for it being a veggie soup.
ReplyDeleteI can only hope my lunch turned out as delicious as that looks!
Miss X
ReplyDeleteFar be it from me to mess with somebodies cooking, but, for something a little different, cabbage with sliced Brussel Sprouts for a slighly different taste.
I think you wil;l like the difference.
Dennis the librarian shusher
Miss X,
ReplyDeleteThat should be ,"Replace the cabbage with Brussel sprouts"
Sorry for any confusion.
Dennis the librarian shusher
No mettwurst to be had in little town, I checked at lunch. I will try something in its place and let you know how it goes.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of vegetables, you know what actually has some pretty well-demonstrated antimicrobial activity, including antiviral? Garlic.
ReplyDeleteKnow what makes a surprisingly good soup with our sickbed friend Mr. Chicken? garlic.
Speaking for ourselves, because we are too goddamned lazy to make and freeze our own stocks beforehand, we find throwing the bones into the soup means you get stock as you cook...
Dennis: I almost tried that with leftover Brussels sprouts a couple of weeks ago -- left them too long, darn it.
ReplyDeleteLabRat: I am not so much with cooking the chicken. I should try. (I'd as soon do a pork roast, which I haven't done in years -- pure yum, and if you roast veggies with it, you can make outstanding soup from the leftovers). As for garlic, that's almost essential for good soup; the only variable is quantity.
An old Italian guy once told me that the only thing you shouldn't put garlic in is ice cream; everything else tastes better with it.
ReplyDeleteShould you feel like taking a swing, most likely when you are not feeling like monitoring your white cell count, we use Corriher's approach. The animals all have very much looked forward to these occasions, as it invariably causes a case of "my cutting board runneth over", juiciness wise.
ReplyDeleteI like roast pork a lot, but I can never get quite as excited for it. Both foretell excellent soup base and sandwiches in my future, though.
Dang that looks good and seasonally appropriate! We've been doing the low & slow beans in the crockpot w/ the obligatory ham hock of deliciousness!
ReplyDeleteGawd, but that soup looks marvelous. Yum.
ReplyDelete