Soup!

Succulicious

I said yesterday that I would share a wonderful soup with you, did I not? And I am nothing if not a woman of my word. This is  a fantabulous, hearty, succulicious (Like my made-up word combining succulent and delicious? Webster's is going to knock on my door to add it to the dictionary, I just know it!) bowl of goodness for you. 

For the longest time I really had no interest in soup whatsoever. I had nothing against soup - I just didn't get it. Maybe it was the years of sucking down salt-in-a-red-and-white-labeled can whilst trekking through my adolescent countryside that left my desire lacking. (Funny little sidebar: One of the nights during the aforementioned trek, my professionally trained chef brother said he was going to make a linguine dish for dinner. Being the snooty little picky-palate I was, I declared, "I don't like la-gweenie!" To which he replied, "Really? What are you going to have?" "Chicken noodle soup." He hands me the red-and-white labeled can and tells me to read the ingredients. Chicken broth. Linguine. I had nothing.)

Last year I found Giada de Laurentiis's Winter Minestrone recipe. Savory and delicious, chock full of veggies, greens, beans and pancetta. Nom, nom!! So began my soup reeducation. I made it a few times last year.

Since this is the coldest winter I can remember, I've been on a soup kick. I made the Winter Minestrone once, a White Bean and Kale Soup, and.....drum roll...... the succulicious Beef and Vegetable Soup Bourguignon.

This recipe is courtesy Food52.com. I'm slightly loathe to admit I stumbled across this website because of Princess-of-Privilege, Gwyneth Paltrow. But she knows good food, and I can't hold her against good food. And I knew the soup was succulicious because Isaac couldn't eat enough of it. He had two bowls the first day it was made, and then had it for dinner the following two nights. His MO is to request leftovers for dinner the next day, then completely lose interest. Not this time.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

2 tbs olive oil
1.5 lbs beef chuck, cubed and patted dry
1 c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
2 large yellow onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c red wine (Burgundy, Pinot Noir or Cabernet)
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 quart beef broth
1.5 lbs of red potatoes, cubed
1 32 oz can of diced fired roasted tomatoes
3 c of chopped swis chard
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tabasco sauce, for serving
Grated Parmesean, for serving

WHAT TO DO:

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot and brown the beef in batches. Crowding too much will steam them, not brown them. Whence all sides are browned, move them to a bowl, plate, or whatever will hold them.

Add more olive oil to the pot in which you sauteed the beef and add the carrots, celery and onions. Sauté until they're soft, 5 - 10 minutes. Add garlic and let sit for one minute then add the red wine. Give it all a good stir, scraping up the gems of delicious flavor (brown bits). After the wine has reduced over a sixty-second period, or so, add everything (including the the browned beef) but not the swiss chard. Stir so everything is combined. Season with salt and pepper, cover then simmer over low heat until the beef is fork-tender - about 1.5 hours. After the time has elapsed, I prefer to fish out as many bay leaves and branches of thyme as I can before and adding the chard. (But never fear, if you have to fish one out of your bowl succuliciousness, it won't kill you.)

Ladle into bowl(s) and top with Tabasco or Parm, if you so desire and enjoy!