"Janet B." > wrote in
:

>
> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
> ...
>> In article >,
>> "cybercat" > wrote:
>>
>>> I've never made this. I will braise the beef and cut into bite-sized
>>> pieces.
>>>
>>> I want a base that is beef broth with a bit of tomato.
>>>
>>> (I know, it's hardly soup weather, but we eat it year round, and I
>>> want it
>>> perfected by the fall ...)
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>
>> My preference is to use my pressure cooker to cook shank cuts (round
>> bone) until tender -- along with a bay leaf and some celery and
>> onion. I'm not too proud to add some beef base (Penzeys is good) to
>> it to give me more volume. I remove the meat, strain and discard
>> the vegetables then chill the broth and defat for use as soup base
>> whenever I want vegetable soup. At that point, I add the vegetables
>> of my choice: celery, carrots, peas, a bit of diced (canned) tomato,
>> maybe barley that's been pre-cooked, some parsley.
>>
>> It's always soup weather. :-)
>> --
>> -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
>> http://www.jamlady.eboard.com - story and
>> pics of Ronald McDonald House dinner posted 6-24-2007
>
> I use Barb's method, only no peas, tomato sometimes barley, sometimes
> potato and then green beans and cabbage. It's all good. I think the
> important part is to get the beef tender and tasty. From there on
> it's up to your tastes.
> Janet
>
>
>

I use beef knuckle bones...first I roast them to get a darker stock. Then
(to water to cover) I add a large carrot (broken in half), large onion
(skin and all) cut in half, some celery ribs, 10 or so peppercorns, a
clove or 3 of garlic and a bay leaf or 3. This I simmer a while, till
it's a rich stock. I do this in a pasta pot the kind with a insert (full
of holes) so the larger crud is easier to remove. I chuck out the spend
veggies and bones. I refrigerate this so skiming the fat is easier

After I make the stock I add browned chuck cubes, cooked Pot barley,
tomato paste and diced tomatoes, a little salt and fresh veggies like
chopped onion, chopped celery heart with the leaves, diced carrot,
chopped red or green bell pepper and anything else that I need to clean
outa the fridge vegetable wise, plus sliced mushrooms some maggi sauce or
worechester sauce. First I simmer to soften up the chuck a while, then
add veggies later so they don't get too soft and then the pre cooked
barley. Sometimes I also add a cup or so of a nice red wine to make the
broth richer in taste. Diced Potatoes also work but I rarely eat them
(low carb diet) these days. So does corn nibblets, and spinach leaves.

The trick is when to add the veggies...add the stuff that cooks up faster
nearer the end.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore