BEEF WITH VEGETABLES SOUP

Submitted By Santos C. Vega

Life in Miami, Arizona in the early 1930s resembled an extended family celebration on a daily basis. People who lived in the canyon or mountain-side neighborhoods knew each other, depended on each other for survival and supported one another. Almost every other day, my mother would hail the meat truck from her front porch. Inside the butcher’s black 1928 Ford panel truck were 100 lb blocks of ice in a meat chest, covered over with pieces of meat wrapped in white paper. In other boxes were chicken and fish.

During the Great Depression, my mother cooked a huge pot of “Caldo” or “Cocido”, two names in Spanish for beef with vegetables soup, at least two times each week. The soup ingredients provided a delicious and nutritious lunch or supper for half a dozen or more persons. My book, “The Worm in my Tomato”, makes reference to the cooking of the soup on pages 50 – 56. This soup is still popular today and some restaurants list it on their menu. Because today there are many food ingredients easy to acquire, I have my own specialty.

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill a large 5 or 6 quart pan with the following ingredients:

• 3 quarts Water
• 2 Beef Neck Bones
• 1 ½ pounds Choice Chuck Steak or Stew Meat, cut into 1 inch squares
• 1 t each: Coarse Ground Garlic Salt with Parsley, Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Celery Salt
• 1 large White Onion, thickly sliced
• 3 Garlic kernels (cloves), thinly sliced

Bring this mixture to a boil.
Add 2 cubes Beef Flavored Bouillon and 1 small Jalapeño Pepper.
Turn down the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes to ½ hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the following ingredients:

• 3 Potatoes, rinsed, peeled and cut quarter size
• 10 oz bag Baby Carrots
• 3-4 small Yellow Corn Cobs, cut in half
• 1-2 Zucchini, sliced
• 14.5 oz can Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes, with juice
• 1 stalk Celery, sliced
• ½ head Cabbage, quartered

When the meat is tender, add these vegetables.
When the potatoes and carrots are soft, add 2 small cups of Noodles.
When the Noodles are done, taste and add more seasonings, if desired.

NOTES

• This recipe will feed 6-8 persons. For fewer persons, or to make a smaller portion, use a smaller pan and reduce the amount of water and the amounts of meat and vegetables in proportion to how much soup wanted.
• To avoid mushiness, don’t slice the Vegetables too thin.
• Neck bones add more flavor, but other meat bones can also be used.

EDITOR’S NOTE: T (big T) = Tablespoon, t (little t) = teaspoon, C = cup