Beef and Red Wine Broth

I fell in love with a cookbook over Thanksgiving weekend. I picked up my aunt’s copy of The Silver Palate and didn’t put it down for the rest of the weekend. I had to take some recipes home with me and this was one of the recipes I copied. It is now my absolute favorite soup. It’s easy enough for a week night first course, but still gives you that comforting “been cooking all day” feeling. And it will make your house smell awesome! If I had this soup before every meal, I’d be a happy camper. I did substitute celery for parsnips, simply because I had celery in my fridge and no parsnips. I also used 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil instead of the 4 tbsp of butter that the recipe calls for. That’s just my personal preference. Here is the recipe in the original form:

Beef and Red Wine Broth (Serves 6):

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 and 1/2c chopped yellow onions

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 parsnip, peeled and chopped

8 to 10 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

3/4 c chopped parsley

5 c beef stock (or combination beef and chicken stock)

1 c dry red wine

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup small pasta (I used orzo)

Grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese for garnish (optional, but highly recommended!)

Melt butter in large heavy pot over low heat. Add the onions, carrots, parsnip and chopped garlic. Cook, covered, until all vegetables are tender (approx. 25 min). Add chopped parsely, beef stock and wine. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and let simmer (partially covered) for 20 minutes. Bring quart of salted water to a boil and add in pasta. Cook until pasta is tender. Drain pasta and reserve. Pour soup through a strainer and discard solids. Return broth to the soup pot, add cooked pasta and simmer (covered) for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

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Tagged as: appetizer, beef broth, beef soup, orzo, red wine, red wine soup, Soup, vegetable soup