Vegetable/Beef Soup

It is the time of year to enjoy fresh vegetables form the garden and reap the benefits of having a garden in the first place and the hard work I put in. We have an abundance of beans and zucchini right now. We've been eating purple and yellow beans almost every day. Can't get them any fresher than this and they are just so tasty. Beans are so versatile. We boil them, eat them with a cream sauce, make a salad, etc. The zucchini we slice and grill on the BBQ, together with mushrooms and pepper. The peppers are still green, but a few are turning red. Tomatoes are not ready yet, except for the odd one.

Since the temperature has dropped to an acceptable level, my thoughts turned to soup. I love soups. So today I made a Vegetable/Beef soup. Why? Because I had the necessary ingredients at home. My wife doesn't mind if I borrow her kitchen to make soup, as long as I clean up afterward. I love eating soups and I love making them.

I cruised the internet looking for a recipe and found plenty. Not all of them were suitable for me so I sort of put my own recipe together with ideas from what I found. I've made enough soups and do have a certain basic knowledge. When I need more direct information, there is always my wife who I can ask for some advice. But she has to stay out of the kitchen. After all--it is my soup. She has no problem with that. I got all my ingredients together and started chopping and slicing.

Here is the recipe:

Vegetable/Beef Soup

Note: The following recipe is enough for at least 10 people

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 chopped onion

4 cloves of minced garlic

Red pepper flakes (optional)

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. Mrs. Dash

½ tsp. Thyme

1 cubed potato

4 cubed small turnips

3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

4 chopped carrots

1 small piece of broccoli, diced

2 small yellow zucchini, thinly sliced  (or use green zucchini)

 One handful of yellow beans, sliced into small chunks

2 mushrooms, sliced

1 tomato, chopped

Parsley and celery tops, shredded

2 cups of beef broth

3 ½ cups vegetable broth from vegetable seasoning cubes (Knorr) or powder

Beef bones left over from T-bone steaks  (optional)

*In a large pot sauté onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if used)

*Add the hard vegetables: potato, turnips, celery, and carrots and sauté for a couple of minutes

*Add beef stock and vegetable stock

*Add beef bones

*Add spices

*Bring to boil then simmer for 15 minutes until vegetables are almost tender

*Add Mushrooms, zucchini, beans, tomato, parsley and celery tops

*Simmer for 20 minutes (until all vegetables are tender)

Note: I just used whatever vegetables I had on hand. Obviously, they can be substituted with other vegetables or more added. The soup was very tasty but a bit spicy. Go easy on the red pepper flakes.