Beef Soup-Stew

I wasn't going to blog this, so there are no ingredient pictures. It turned out pretty well though, and I may want to make it again. . .with new tweaks of course. . .so I'm doing this after the fact, on the last bowl.

2# well trimmed, seasoned Montreal Griller beef steaks

Mine were frozen, so I thawed them late in the evening, trimmed off the fat then cut them in small pieces. I marinated them in equal amounts -about 2/3c each- of single source EVOO and a good, aged Balsamic vinegar. Season with garlic salt, and a pepper based garlic and herb seasoning. Make sure the marinade covers all surfaces of the meat. Cover the bowl or pot, and refrigerate overnight.

This morning I started by sautéing the seasoned meat in the marinade, along with a couple big garlic cloves - smashed and chopped, stirring occasionally until it  all sizzles and snaps. Measure out 1-2 quarts of fresh cold water and add a little just before the meat browns completely, to keep it from sticking to the pot. Repeat this sautéing and deglazing a couple times. When this process is done right, it'll bring the flavors out of the meat so further seasoning is usually minimal. Next add the following rough cut vegetables in the order they're listed.

3 very big carrots

8-12oz. skinny frozen beans

Cover and let these two cook a bit before adding the rest:

3 big Yukon gold potatoes

3-4 additional garlic cloves

1/4 - 1/2 bell pepper

1-1/2c diced cabbage

1 med. onion 

4 bay leaves

1 28oz. can petite diced tomatoes

Beef Better Than Bouillon 

Once the vegetables have been added, bring everything to a low simmer, cover and cook 30-40 minutes, until the carrots and beans are the way you like them. This made about 6 quarts.  .  .Lin

Spicy Beef Pho Type Soup

As I was heading to the lake this afternoon, I was craving Beef Pho. The tiny city where my condo is located has a great Asian take-out place.

Then, the plan changed, and I decided to stop at Super One for ingredients to make my own. I've rarely had authentic Pho, so I'm not remembering how this compares, but it sure worked for me!

6oz. rice noodles
TOASTED sesame oil
2 stalks celery
a few small carrots
4oz. mushrooms
6oz. marbled black Angus beef steak
4-5 green onions
2 big cloves garlic

2T Tsang spicy Szechaun sauce
3±T beef Better Than Bouillon
1/2-1t garlic salt
1 packed cup of rough chopped *cilantro

Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. While you're waiting for that to start, slice the meat and vegetables. 

Add the noodles to the pot, you won't exactly 'cook' them...just cover the pot and turn off the heat -do not drain- this will become your beef broth. Stir fry the celery and carrots in the sesame oil until snapping, lightly brown, and tenderize.

Add these to the pot of noodles and water. Drizzle another 2T of the oil into the hot pan and stir in the mushrooms, cooking them until they start to turn golden brown then add them to the pot.

Repeat this process with the beef, adding a little of the garlic. Stir this just until the edges brown, but the pieces are all medium rare. 

Add the green onion and rest of the garlic to the beef, sizzle a couple more minutes, then put that into the pot. Simmer everything another 5 minutes then stir in the *cilantro or flat leaf parsley.

 🍲 Serve this up in big bowls 🍲 . . .Lin