Wet, wild and windy weather called for steaming bowls of soup, flannel pyjamas and bedtime stories shared under cosy blankets. So my hearty veal and vegetable soup really hit the spot this evening.
This is not a delicate, clear, consume style of soup. It is a stick to your ribs, packed with protein, vitamins and carbohydrates, all-in-one nourishing number.
I served this soup to my family in deep bowls, topped with shaved Parmesan and fresh sourdough rolls warmed through in the oven for 3 minutes.
My recipe is made to feed between 8 – 10 people with appreciative appetites. I usually cook large quantities of food, because I have what is considered today in the Western world to be a large family – a husband who eats everything I dish up and five growing children (it will be six in September). I like leftovers because they can be quickly packed into Thermoses for school lunches, taken to work, eaten by whomever happens to be at home or in most cases frozen. All these options apply to this particular soup recipe of mine.
Hearty Veal and Vegetable Soup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 x large brown onion
4 x cloves garlic
4 x chunky veal cutlets – You need a total weight of about 1.4 kg so add or take depending on the size of each cutlet. If you can’t find veal cutlets, then substitute with beef cutlets. The flavour will be stronger but still tasty. Cut the meat off each cutlet into pieces about 4 cm in size.
2 x bay leaves
1 x tablespoon sweet paprika
4 x large carrots
2 x long sticks of celery, internal leaves included if still attached
1 x medium/large fennel bulb, fronds included
2 x medium parsnip
2 x medium zucchini
500 grams of potatoes, peeled – Not chat potatoes because they would fall apart in this cooking process.
300 grams stringless green beans
2.5 litres of liquid – I used 500 ml chicken stock and 2 litres of water at room temperature.
1 x 400 gram can of crushed or chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Shaved Parmesan to top each diner’s bowl and good quality bread to serve
Put the onion and garlic into the food processor and blitz until very, very fine. Scoop into a large cast iron pot or similar where the olive oil has been heated over a medium heat. Sauté until this mixture starts to take on a light golden colour.
Add the meat, including the bones. Brown the meat, then add the bay leaves and paprika all the while stirring to make sure it doesn’t burn. Paprika burns very quickly and results in a nasty bitter flavour so keep watch.
Add to the pot and sauté for about 10 minutes over a medium heat, adding the liquid as soon as the mixture starts to stick.
Add the tinned tomatoes, salt and pepper and the green beans which I left whole to prevent them falling apart.
Put the pot into a preheated, fan forced oven at 150 degrees for 2 hours, walk away and deal with the remaining items on your daily “to do” list.
Just before serving, put the pot onto the stove and add half a cup of rice. I used long grain but medium white rice is fine too.
Once this has cooked, taste the soup, adjust with seasoning if needed and call the troops to dinner!
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