That looks wonderful
Soup season is full on here as well . Last night was oyster stew with 2 pints of oysters rather than one called for in the recipe.
Next week I will make a run to the butcher shop for a knuckle if I can get it or a big roast and a bunch of marrow bones as the base for vegetable soup. I will call tomorrow and ask them not to debone a knuckle for me. When they mechanically debone there is nothing left but bone. I like the tendons for the soup. I have them saw the knuckle length way to get all the goodness of the marrow exposed.
Last edited by Dave Grubb; 12-04-2021 at 09:21 AM.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
Our vegetable-beef soup is at the top of my list of favorites, but preparing it is an all day tedious job to get it right. The broth is always the key to a good soup, and with vegetable-beef soup doubly so, imo. Dave, your method sounds solid with splitting the bones and exposing the essential marrow. Do you braze them before simmering?
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“You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” — Too fundamental to have an attribution
I do not braze or roast them before putting them into the pot. I do see various methods of preparing marrow, more so lately, and I have to softly chuckle---I have been a lover of marrow since I was a little kid---and the source is secondary---beef, pig, or sheep---but I will say beef is my favorite.
When I can't get a knuckle, they always have marrow bones in the freezer. They are cut in about 6" length so I can easily extract any remaining marrow after boiling in the soup pot for hours.
As for the soup---I try my very best not to have a bowl on the first day----for tomorrow will be even better
One advantage here is the weather. I make a BIG pot of soup and like you it is an all day project, when evening comes and I turn off the burner I can simply cart the pot out on the deck and close the door----I'll see you in the morning
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
Last edited by Dave Grubb; 12-05-2021 at 04:56 PM.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
We (my wife is integral to the effort) always make as much as our biggest pot can hold, which is several gallons, so we can freeze it in qt. jars. I will bet each of us here prefer different veggie combinations in their soup. We always put in canned San Marzano tomatoes, Pearl onions, corn, green beans, carrots, potatoes, little pasta rings, beef stew meat, and okra. And, yeah, I know, lots of carbs here. What can I say, I’m a carbaholic. My wife and I argue over including lima beans, which I do not like, but she always wins on that one. No cabbage in ours.
We braze our bones and initial stew meat along with some onion, carrots & celery before simmering in the broth and throw it all out at the end of the process, but I can guarantee I am going to look for Dave’s split-sawed bones next time. We find that the stew meat has given up all its goodness after the broth is done, so fresh stew meat goes in after the initial broth process. We also use some of those little packs of beef concentrate to add richness as well. Sometimes we toss in some no-salt boxed chicken broth to add volume and enhance flavor.
When we freeze the soup, we do not include the pasta, potatoes or okra because they all come out mushy when defrosted. We cook and add those ingredients at serving except the cut okra which is thrown in last to keep the crispness.
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“You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” — Too fundamental to have an attribution
I avoid potatoes, asparagus, and pasta because they fall flat in both texture and taste. I do use cabbage---a big head to a large pot. I add the cabbage last since I need it to cook down as I add it since by then the pot is close to full. Most everything else in the vegetable kingdom is offered a place in the pot. That includes greens (right now I have access to both turnip and beet greens) but I limit them since they are like celery, if not careful they can take over the flavour.
As the pot boils I add spices and herbs, at very least one bulb of garlic (smashed and roasted with the meat when I braze it), tyme, oregano (Mexican), coriander, hot Hungarian paprika, sage, Herbs de Provence, cumin, bay leaf, dry mustard, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, onion powder (diced onion is also in the pot), horseradish powder---and pretty much anything that catches my eye
I do use a beef base on an as needed basis---all based on taste. I have no idea how one could make vegetable soup without tasting it.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
I forgot one major component--fish sauce!
I add fish sauce to most every kind of soup.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
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“You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” — Too fundamental to have an attribution
Try it---you will like it
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
Odd, I lost a big batch of chili several years ago to raccoons myself. I haven't lost another batch 'cause I just don't leave it sitting out to cool/breathe anymore. So, obviously, I had to change my behavior rather than change the raccoons.
Hunter
I don't care if it hurts. I want to have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul. - Creep by Radiohead
And this begats a coon tale
I was drawn into a coon fight--one step at a time. Seems the buggers were terrifying my bird feeders---and systematically destroying them
I committed to ending the tyranny being wrought by these intrepid souls
The entire evolution of my coon proof feeder took more than a month, with countless revisions along the way
The final product was based on a large coffee can, turned upside down with a small opening in the side where the seed could come out. Yes, they could still pull the seed out with their disgusting little feet---but at least I was going to stop the grand larceny that had been occurring.
The base of the feeder was composed of a 12" wide board about 18" long. To that was a round disc of 3/4" board the diameter of the ID of the coffee can. That "trapped" the can in place on the bottom. The feeder was filled with seed, the base was inverted on the "top" of the can and then the entire sub-assembly was turned over and clamped to a larger permanent base. On the now top of the can I drilled a hole in the center.
I drove a nail through a 2"x18"x5/4" board That nail went into the hole in the can so they could not push the can out of it's capture. On each end of the 5/4" board I put an eye bolt and did the same directly below that in the base. Between the eyes was 1/8" aircraft cable, a snap and a stiff coil spring. The snap connected the top to the base on both sides of the can.
While that might seem simple---it was anything but a straight path in development
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
My brother has 2 cats he got because of a coon. There was a mother cat with 2 kittens that fought off a coon trying to eat them. Mom saved the kittens but died doing so. My brother and his wife took the cats in.
Hunter
I don't care if it hurts. I want to have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul. - Creep by Radiohead