Saturday Soup

 

 I have been known to have this one prepped the night before. It is another of Jared’s favorites because it has chunks of dead animal in it (in this case beef, but venison or elk work well too). Just start the cooking in the morning and it is ready by dinner time.

Ingredients

·        1-1/2 pounds potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

·        3 medium carrots, thinly sliced

·        2 medium onions, chopped

·        2 medium parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced

·        2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces

·        1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 pounds), cut into 2-inch pieces

·        1/2 cup all-purpose flour

·        1-3/4 teaspoons salt

·        3/4 teaspoon pepper

·        2 tablespoons olive oil

·        1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

·        2 garlic cloves, minced

·        1 bottle (12 ounces) Guinness stout or if desperate, beef broth (Jared can tell if I skipped the Guiness so I do my best not to)

·        1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth

·        2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

·        Minced fresh parsley

Directions

Place the first 5 ingredients in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker.

Toss beef with flour, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches. Transfer beef to slow cooker with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to medium. To same skillet, add tomato paste and garlic. Cook and stir 1 minute.

Add beer to skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth and thyme.

Cook, covered, on low until beef and vegetables are tender, 7-8 hours. Garnish with parsley.

A nice crusty bread compliments this soup.