Mama’s Beef Soup – Italian Style

I am sorry to have waited until almost the last possible moment to write my Tuesday blog post. However, I do have a good reason. Today I was trying to hand up a bag of potato chips to a friend who was working on my roof. As I asked him if the kind was ok, a very angry yellow jacket (wasp) stung the underside of my right arm. OUCH!!! I am also slightly allergic to bee/wasp/hornet stings, so I immediately found my Benadryl, ibuprofen, and ice while child #2 made a paste of water and baking soda. It felt like I had a tiny, but very painful, hot poker in my arm. It was not a pleasant time.

So, now my arm has a section that is about 10 inches in length that is swollen, puffy, and hot to the touch. I’ll live, but yikes! What a nasty surprise. I am not going outside again any time soon, unless in case of dire emergency! It is well known that once you get stung, the stinging-type of insects can smell it and you are more likely to be stung again. No thank you!

So…beef soup. I found that our tiny little village restaurant made this awesome beef soup. My recipe is based on my rememberance of that soup, which I love to make on a chilly day. I start with beef that has a bone in it, since bone broth is so very good for you. (Sorry, vegan and vegetarian friends, though I suppose you could substitute something for the beef. Perhaps mushrooms?) Anyway, please make sure your beef has bones, or at least some of it does. Here is what you will need:

1 stock pot big enough to hold 2+ gallons

2 – 3 pounds of beef, some of which MUST have bones!

1 gallon of water

2 medium onions, halved and sliced thinly

6 cups cabbage, roughly chopped (I take advantage of sales to buy cabbage, rough chop it for soup, and freeze it in 4 cup increments!)

4 cups diced tomatoes, drained (I used canned tomatoes, but if you are fortunate enough to have a garden where some neighbor is NOT stealing your produce, you could theoretically use fresh tomatoes or ones you have frozen from previous bountiful garden harvests.)

5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks

2 cups sliced carrots (optional)

2 cups fresh or frozen green beans (optional)

2 Tbsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1 Tbsp. oregano

Fill stockpot with the gallon of water. Add the beef and bones along with the onions. Let come to a boil and then turn down to simmer for at least 3 hours, or until the beef is falling off the bones. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. In the meantime, add potatoes and carrots, (if using) and let cook for an hour. Add cabbage, green beans (if using,) and tomatoes. Cook until a knife easily pierces the carrot and potato.

Pull beef off of bone and shred it before adding it back to the pot. Make sure to remove any fat or gristle. Add salt, pepper, onion powder, and oregano. Stir in and let simmer for at least half an hour for the flavors to meld. Happy eating!