Grandmas Beef and Vegetable soup
Growing up I was very blessed to live within 2 miles of both sets of my Grandparents. I was taught many things by them, being frugal was one and second my love of cooking which stemmed from watching my Grandma Callahan cook as a little girl. Crazy thing is she didn’t make anything fancy, but everything she made tasted wonderful to me. Every Christmas she would have a pot of her Beef and Vegetable soup simmering on the stove, to warm us up on a cold winter night.
Once I was old enough to cook myself I asked her to show me how to make some of her classic dishes. She does everything “old school”, she made her beef broth from a soup bone and could turn the toughest cut of meat into fall apart tenderness. I do not follow her recipes 100% ( as I use store broth, since I don’t use a soup bone) But the basic recipe is hers and it taste like hers for the most part.
Well this week I have been fighting an awful sore throat and all I wanted was some of Grandmas Delicious soup to make me feel better. So it was time to get the soup pot out and make up a batch.
First rule Grandma did not measure anything… you just add things till they look right
This time I added
- 4 tomatoes peeled then chopped (or canned diced tomatoes)
- 5 small potatoes cubed
- 1 large onion diced super fine
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped cabbage (this is a must, it is her secret)
- 4 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2-3 cans Beef Broth canned or make your own….. But I used Better than Bouillon
- 2 cups shredded cooked roast beef (left over from Sunday dinner)
- water
- 2 tablespoons oil
- Salt and Pepper
First chop onion and add to soup pot with oil, cook the onions till they start to turn translucent. Then add the rest of the chopped vegetables to the pot. Also add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and beef broth. Add enough water so the vegetables are covered with liquid (normally only 1-2 extra cans of water.)
Put a lid on, bring to a boil then turn down to LOW and let simmer on the stove top all day. I cook mine a few hours (on the lowest heat you can)…. all the flavors blend and turn into a very tasty soup…. Just like Grandma use to make. Salt and pepper to taste before serving.
My Grandma turned 89 last month and I am so blessed to have her part of my life!
