Vegetable Beef Soup

Elena Butuc

A great beef soup, perfect in any season, you can use the vegetables you like or you find in your fridge/freezer or at the market. My girls love this soup, I often replace the veal with chicken, either way it's tasty and healthy. The season for fresh veggies has just started, so take advantage and definitely try this vegetable beef soup, cooked in a countryside style.

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Ingredients

Metric US

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Beef meat

1 kg

or any other meat you like, preferably veal

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Parsnip

1 piece

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White onion

2 pieces

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Celery root

1 piece

a small one

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Bell pepper

2 pieces

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Carrots

1 piece

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Tomato paste

1 tbsp

I used 2 tbsp canned diced tomatoes

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Green peas

200 g

bean pods can be added here

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Zucchini

1 piece

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Potatoes

2 pieces

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Sunflower oil

50 ml

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Fresh parsley

3 tbsp

+lovage or thyme, to taste

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Laurel leaves

2 pieces

Step by step

Step 1

Put the veal shank in a 4-5 litres big pot and pour water to cover completely.

Step 2

Place over heat and, when it comes to a boil, skim off the foam.

Add in the parsnip/parsley roots, 1 onion, 1 pepper and 2 bay leaves.

Turn heat to low and simmer with the lid on.

Step 3

Cooking time may vary depending on the meat. If it's veal shank, it should boil for an hour and a half.

If it's beef, it might need more time, a pressure cooker could help.

Step 4

Remove meat and veggies from the soup, let chill for a bit.

I throw away the vegetables, they already gave their flavour and did their best.

Step 5

Remove the bones and cut the meat into medium-sized cubes.

Step 6

Heat up the oil in a skillet, stir in the diced carrot and braise for 5 minutes.

Then add tomato paste or diced tomatoes.

Step 7

Mix well, cook for 3-4 minutes more and turn off the heat.

Step 8

Then we prepare the veggies:

- dice the celery, potatoes, 1 onion, courgettes and 1 pepper

- add in peas or beans with pods

Step 9

Return the meat cubes back to the soup, add the braised carrot and tomatoes and all the veggies.

Step 10

Mix well and, when it comes to the boil, turn the heat to low and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Step 11

After that, adjust the taste with salt and, optionally, with bors (fermented wheat bran) or lemon juice. I prefer to leave it like this. It has a special, kind of sweet, taste thanks to the veggies and the meat.

Sprinkle some parsley and any other aromatic greens you like. Boil for 1-2 minutes and turn off the heat.

Allow the flavours to blend for 10-15 minutes before serving.