Vegetable Beef Soup is one of my favorite cold weather dishes. I'm sure
there are many variations of this, and, it can't be coined "Cajun".
Use a large (12 quart or so) stock pot. (I don't know how to make a
small soup!)
1 pack of beef ribs cut in two "lengthways". (your butcher can fix you
up with this). You want as much cut bone as you can get; there's flavor
there.
You can also add cut up beef chuck roast or steak for added meat.
Group 1:
Beef
1 med. onion chopped
1/2 lg. bell pepper chopped
6 carrots skinned and sliced
1 small head of cabbage, core out, cut in 2" x 2" pieces (roughly)
3 ribs of celery chopped
4 leaves of fresh mustard greens washed and torn
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 sm. can of tomato sauce or 2 sm. cans V-8 juice
1 - 15 oz. can whole corn
1 - 15 oz. can baby lima beans
1 - 15 oz. can Petit-Pois (small sweet peas)
1 - 15 oz. can green beans
(Same amounts of fresh or frozen canned veggies will do)
Water
Group 2:
3/4" round spaghetti pasta broken in 4
1/4 cup long grain rice
2 med. potatoes peeled and cut into bite sized pieces.
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper (black and cayenne mixed)
4 cups beef stock
Group 3:
Pinch of Thyme
Handful of fresh parley
Handful or two chopped Green onions
Instruction:
Fill the pot half way with water and put to boil.
Wash and add the ribs and extra meat. Trim as much fat off as you can, Boil for 1/2 hour. Skim any fat
off.
Add Group 1 to the pot. Boil for 30 minutes (about). Skim any fat off.
(if you use roast or steak you need to boil this at least an hour
to tenderize the meat.
Add group 2 and do the same.
Add group 3 and boil for 15 minutes. Lower fire and simmer. Begin
tasting and add salt and pepper as you see fit.
The longer you let this simmer the better.
Remove bones.