Chef John Vegetable Beef Soup Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S BEEF AND BARLEY STEW

Steps:

• Season beef all over with kosher salt and black pepper.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook beef in hot oil until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium, and stir onion into the same pot with a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onion is soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir garlic into onion; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir tomato paste into onion mixture; cook and stir until tomato paste is brick red, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour broth into onion mixture. Add celery, carrots, bay leaf, and rosemary. Return beef with any accumulated juices to pot; push beef down to cover with cooking liquid.
• Bring broth mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook until beef is fork-tender, 2 to 3 hours. Transfer beef to a bowl.
• Pour barley into cooking liquid, bring to a simmer, and cook until barley is tender, about 45 minutes. Return beef to pot, cover the pot, and cook until heated through, about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Ladle stew into bowls and garnish with parsley and horseradish.

BEEF AND BEET BORSCHT

Steps:

• Cook beef shank in a large soup pot over high heat until browned, about 3 minutes per side; add water, onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaf to the pot, bring to a simmer and cook until meat is tender and falling off the bone, about 4 hours. Strain broth and discard solids.
• Combine beef broth, beets, and cabbage in a large soup pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until beets are tender, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
• Serve garnished with sour cream and dill.

CHEF JOHN'S MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; cook and stir until it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in onions and celery; cook and stir until onions start to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for another minute.
• Pour chicken broth, water, and plum tomatoes into the pancetta and onion mixture. Bring to a simmer.
• Stir cranberry beans, cabbage, garbanzo beans, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and 2 teaspoons salt into broth mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until cranberry beans are tender, adding more water as needed if the soup becomes too thick, about 45 minutes.
• Stir in Swiss chard and simmer until softened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
• Stir in pasta and increase heat to medium-high and simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with extra virgin olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and Italian parsley.

CHEF JOHN'S MULLIGATAWNY SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter and oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs and season with salt; let brown for 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and brown on opposite side, 4 to 5 minutes more.
• While chicken browns, combine curry powder, garam masala, cumin, black pepper, ground mustard, coriander, and cayenne in a small bowl.
• Remove browned chicken from the pot and transfer to a plate to cool enough to handle; roughly chop or shred.
• While chicken cools, reduce heat to medium and add spice blend to pot; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add garlic and ginger; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Season with salt and cook, stirring, until onions turn translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and continue to cook for 3 minutes more. Stir in potatoes, tomatoes, and apples. Add red lentils, bay leaf, and tamarind paste.
• Pour in chicken broth, stir, and raise heat to high; add coconut cream. Bring to a simmer. Stir and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.
• Stir chopped chicken and any accumulated juices into the soup. Continue to let simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are fully cooked, lentils are tender, and soup has thickened, 20 to 30 minutes more. Taste and adjust as needed.
• Serve in warm bowls topped with Greek yogurt, cilantro, and scallions. Sprinkle with red chili flakes.

OLD-FASHIONED VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

Steps:

• Cut meat into small, bite-size (1/2") pieces.
• In a large pot or dutch oven, saute meat in 1 T oil on medium-high heat until all sides are brown.
• Set aside on a plate.
• Chop celery, onion, potatoes, and carrots into bite-size pieces.
• Saute celery and onion in remaining 1 T oil until onion is golden (about 10 minutes).
• Add browned beef, water, broth, tomatoes with juices, carrots, potatoes, corn, bay leaves and garlic.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until beef is almost tender, about an hour.
• Add peas and hot sauce to soup.
• Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 30 minutes longer.
• Serve and season with freshly ground black pepper, hot sauce, or crumbled saltines, if desired.