Description
A rich comforting soup that's hearty enough for dinner, with tender beef, potatoes, vegetables and nutritious buckwheat. Gluten-free.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds of stewing beef, cut into 1 inch cubes. (I recommend beef chuck or short ribs cut off the bone. See notes below)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 10 ounces of white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces of shiitakes mushroom caps thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 6 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped (2 tablespoons)
- 12-16 cups low salt chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
- 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup toasted buckwheat groats, also called Kasha
- 1 1/2 pounds yellow flesh Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 broccoli crown, cut into small florets
Instructions
- Season beef generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy soup kettle or Dutch oven until very hot. Add half the beef and sauté, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, about five minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the rest of the beef cubes. Transfer to the plate and set aside.
- Add mushrooms, onions and celery to the pot. Sauté vegetables, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes, or until the water released by the mushrooms is evaporated and the vegetables just start to brown. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for one minute.
- Return the beef to the pot. Pour in 12 cups of chicken broth, carrots, thyme, bay leaves,1 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Add buckwheat and potatoes. Bring the soup back to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes longer.
- Add broccoli and simmer for a final 5-10 minutes. If you want a thinner soup, add more chicken broth. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.
Notes
If you decide to use short ribs, I found that 4 1/2 pounds of short ribs (6 meaty ribs) yields 2 pounds of meat. I suggest cutting the meat off the bones and cubing it up. When you add the broth in step #3, add as many bones as comfortably fit in the pot. I added 3 and froze the rest for future broths.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Eastern European