Lazy Beef Vegetable Soup

2 Tbs.     Olive oil

1 1/4 lb.  Beef, Chuck Steak, 1 inch cubes

1 lb.        Beef, Chuck Short Ribs

1 med.    Onion, diced

2 clove   Garlic, minced

1/2 c.      Red wine

1 Tbs.     Black Pepper, ground

29 oz.     Mixed Vegetables, can

15 oz.     Green Beans, can, cut

15 oz.     Turnip Greens, can

15 oz.     Stewed Tomatoes, can, sliced

48 oz.     Vegetable Juice

3             Bay leaves, whole

2 Tbs.     Thyme, dried

1 Tbs.     Rosemary leaves, whole

1             Habanero chile, whole (optional)

I call this "Lazy" because it is minimal prep time and I use a 10 cup pressure cooker.  You can use a regular stock pot but cook time is at least 4 times longer. 

Heat oil in your pot on med-high. It is ready when you see the surface shimmer.   Sear the meat in small batches to avoid crowding the pot.  This keeps the temperature hot and allows steam to escape so a nice brown crust develops faster.  When searing meat it will tell you when it is ready to be turned. Tug gently on the meat if it releases easily from the pot it is ready to be turned, if it fights you, then let it sit awhile longer till it is ready.  Place the seared meat in a dish and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium and saute the onions, with a large pinch of salt, till translucent and lightly caramelized.  Add the garlic and stir till fragrant then add the wine to the pot to deglaze.  Be sure to scrape up all the goodness stuck to the pot, this is a lot of flavor!

Return the meat to the pan with the black pepper and toss to combine.  Drain and retain the liquid from the 3 cans of vegetables.  Add all vegetables including the undrained stewed tomatoes to the pot.  Add the vegetable juice til covered, if desired add some of the retained liquid to make more soup.  I do not add much salt to this recipe because the canned vegetables contain so much.  If you use low or no salt/sodium varieties you can adjust the salt to your own taste.  Add the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves to the pot and stir.  The habanero adds a nice flavor to the soup.  If you leave it whole it adds only a little heat,  If you slice it open and remove the seeds, you will have more heat and if you want a lot of heat dice it!  Hint- tie the pepper in a cheese cloth or place it in a tea ball so it can easily be removed before serving.  

I cover pot and cook.  The pressure cooker was set to high heat and pressure. After it came up to pressure it cooked for 35 minutes.  Always follow you manufactures instructions and recommendations.  For a regular stove top stock pot bring soup to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer. Stir occasionally and add more liquid if needed.  Cook till meat is fall apart tender, about 2 hours.  When done remember to remove the pepper and all bay leaves!

The beef.

The vegetables.

Olive oil in the pan.

Sear the short ribs.

Small batches of meet.

A little salt for the onions.

Look at the flavor at the bottom.

Deglaze with wine.

Add meat, vegetables and juice

Spices in the pot.

Ready to serve.

Pure comfort!

5 Chile Chili

1 1/2 lb.    Bottom Round Steaks

1 lb.          Pork Shoulder Steaks

2               Onions, medium, diced

3 cloves    Garlic, minced

4-5            Japones Chile Peppers

2               Ancho Chile Peppers

2               Guajillo Chile Peppers

7 oz.         Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, can

4 oz.         Green Chile Peppers, Mild, can

1 c.           Wine

2 Tbs.       Tomato Paste

15 oz.       Tomatoes, crushed

15 oz.       Tomatoes, stewed

16 oz.        Salsa, medium

2 Tbs.        Beef broth concentrate

1 Tbs.        Cumin

2 Tbs.        Chili Powder

Made a chili over the weekend.  This one uses chunks of beef and pork seared then simmered with tomatoes, onions and chile peppers.  Let's get started!  Preheat your oven to 350F.

To begin this is chili and to most that means spicy heat.  I made this one with 5 varieties of chiles. I also tried to keep the heat to a low-medium.  Choosing chile peppers is a matter of personal taste.  I like a little variety to mine. NOTE: the numbers in () are Scoville Heat Units.  For reference, Jalpenos are 2500-8000 SHU and sweet green peppers are 0 SHU.  First I use 4 or 5 Japones (15,000-30,000 SHU) for a little fire.  These peppers don't add much flavor beyond their spicy heat. A 7oz can of Chipotle (2500-8000 SHU) in Adobo sauce for overall mellow heat and complex spice and smoke flavor.  Next 2 Ancho chiles (1000-1500 SHU) for their coffee tinged, earthy sweetness and mild heat. Then 2 Guajillo chile (2500-5000) for its tangy cranberry-like fruitiness, mild heat and subtle smoke flavor. I also added a can of mild green chiles (est. 250-1000 SHU) for added sweetness and bright flavor.  There are so many varieties of chiles available that I have a website bookmarked on my phone that I can use as a reference when shopping. 

http://www.pepperscale.com/hot-pepper-list/

For the meat I found bottom round steak and pork shoulder steak on sale.  The cook time on this dish is so long, almost any inexpensive cut of meat will work.  The longer it cooks the more tender it becomes.  I used about 1 1/2 lb of beef and 1 lb of pork.  I cut these into about 3/4 inch cubes.  Then seared them in about 2 Tbs olive oil in a medium high Dutch oven on the stove top.  Do this in small batches and avoid over crowding the pan.  This keeps the pan hot and lets moisture escape so the meat sears to a nice brown crust faster.   Remove the meat from the pan reduce the heat to medium.

 Add 2 more Tbs olive oil and 2 medium diced onions.  Allow these to soften and begin to brown then add 2 or 3 minced garlic cloves.  Add your dried chile peppers at this time.  I used my kitchen shears to cut-up the peppers right into the pan.  You can cut the stem end off your pepper and shake the seeds out before cutting up the rest of the pepper into 1/8 inch pieces. 

After the peppers are added and the onions well browned I made a well in the middle of the pan and added I  2 oz. of tomato paste.  Smear this around a bit.  You want this to get a bit scorched.  Trust me this adds a lot of flavor!  When the tomato paste is much darkened, mix it into the rest of the pan. 

Next add 1 cup of wine to the pan and scrape all the goodness from the bottom to deglaze.  You can use almost any liquid at this point.  I have made chili with wine, beer even tequila!.  When using beer use any good ale (stay away from stouts, porters or hoppy beers including most lagers as they can be bitter when cooked).   Let the wine (or whatever) reduce down at least 3/4s about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add the beef back to the pan along with the beef broth concentrate, followed by the canned tomatoes and chiles.  The final seasoning is cumin, chili powder.  Chili powder is best when purchased fresh from a spice specialty store or when you make it yourself using fresh spices.  Here is a good recipe from the internet.   http://www.food.com/recipe/chili-powder-16892.

After it is all well combined let it come to a slow boil then cover with a tight fitting lid and place in to the oven.  Let this cook for at least 3 hours. (8-12 hours would not be out of the question.)  Just check it periodically to stir and add a little water if needed.  You do want it to reduce a bit to thicken to a good chili consistency that you like.

Serve with your choice of condiments, Cheese and jalapeno slices for me!

The Chiles

The Tomatoes

Bottom round steaks and
pork shoulder steaks 

 Cut meat into 3/4 inch cubes.

Don't over crowd the pan.

Small batches sear best!

Nicely browned meat.

Caramelized onions, garlic and chiles 



Add tomato paste.

Deglaze the pan.

Add the beef, tomatoes,
canned chiles and spices.

After 4 hours.

Ready to eat!



Asian Bitter Mellon and Shitake Mushroom Soup

Cooked up a pot of chicken with stock over the weekend. Used some of the of the stock and chicken to make an asian inspired soup. Bitter mellon, napa cabbage, fresh parsley, bean sprouts, shitake mushrooms, a dose of five spice and a little red pepper sauce for touch of heat, with wide lo mein noodles