Soup and Biscuits

Well, Christmas is officially over. Presents opened, tree taken down, the whole nine. Sadly, one thing remains… the leftovers. For days. Although our Christmas prime rib was absolutely delicious for Christmas dinner, it got a little old after December 27th when I had my 4th serving of microwaved prime rib. So, I decided to re-purpose our leftovers. I made Beef and Roasted Vegetable soup (I’ll write the recipe below), and then, with my boyfriend’s help, made Rosemary Cheddar biscuits to go with the soup. Here’s the recipe:

Rosemary Cheddar Biscuits

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/3  to 1/4 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup milk (I use low-fat to reduce fat and calories)
• 2/3 cup sharp cheddar, plus 1/4 cup for topping
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Then, using a fork or a pastry cutter, add in the shortening. Add milk, a little at a time, until the dough is soft, but not super sticky. Add the 2/3 cup cheese and rosemary and mix. Don’t handle the dough too much, or else your biscuits won’t be flaky and soft. Put the dough on a lightly floured board and knead it a few times. It should look like this:

Then, pat the dough out gently until it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out biscuits. Sprinkle biscuits with cheddar and put on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450F for 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown.

I have to admit, my metric approximation skills are really rough, so I ended up making my biscuits about an inch thick when I cut them. Let’s just say they were full-figured. Normally this recipe should make 8-10 biscuits, but I only got 6 out of it because they were so thick. You win some, you lose some.

And of course, we need the winning smile from the man who grated all the cheese for me.

Beef and Vegetable Soup

Let’s not forget the soup that I made! It’s a 2-day recipe, but it’s worth it, and it involves quite a bit of just letting the soup simmer. I made my own beef stock from the prime rib bones and scraps, but you can just buy low-sodium beef stock from the grocery store and save a day of cooking.

Homemade Beef Stock Recipe:

• 1 cups chopped celery
• 2 cups diced onion
• 1 cups chopped carrots
• Beef bones and scraps
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Caramelize vegetables in large sauté pan using 2 tsp vegetable oil. Put those vegetables in a large stock pot (at least a 6-qt. pot). Add bones and scraps to pot. Cover all ingredients with water until bones are covered by about 2 inches of water. Add bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Cover with lid and put on stove to boil. After it comes to a boil, turn it down to low heat for at least 2 hours. After the 2 hours are up, strain the stock into a large container and let it cool slightly. Put it in the fridge overnight, or until the fat solidifies on top. Then, using a large spoon, remove as much of the solid fat as possible.

As a side note- I was told in a cooking class that stocks should never be allowed to boil because that makes the stock cloudy, but in this soup that doesn’t matter. Let it boil!

Beef and Roasted Veggie Soup Recipe:

• 6 cups beef stock
• ~3 cups chopped bell peppers
• ~3 cups chopped celery
• ~3 cups peeled and chopped carrots
• 2 cans no-salt diced stewed tomatoes in juice
• 2 cans low-sodium chickpeas, drained
• 1/4 box small shell pasta
• 1/2 cup red wine (or cooking wine)
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 2 cloves minced garlic (I didn’t use this in my recipe because my sister-in-law is allergic to it, but it would taste great in this soup)

Put beef stock in a large pot and let it boil to reduce slightly. While stock is boiling, put chopped peppers, celery, and carrots on a large baking sheet. Drizzle 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil over the top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss vegetables with oil, salt, and pepper until each vegetable is coated. Spread evenly over baking sheet and put in a 425°F oven for 25 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, take ~3 cups chopped beef (since I was using leftovers, mine was already cooked to rare, so I’d suggest having at least slightly-cooked meat beforehand) and put in large sauté pan. Cook it a little bit, until it is seared slightly. Then add the diced stewed tomatoes and cook down slightly, salting to taste. Add red wine (take pan off heat while adding alcohol) and reduce slightly, adding salt and pepper to taste.

When vegetables are done roasting, add them to the boiling stock. Then, add tomato/beef mixture, chickpeas, bay leaves, and parsley. Cover pot and let soup cook for about 15 minutes. While it is cooking, separately cook 1/4 box small shell pasta according to instructions on box. Add cooked pasta to soup and stir. Salt to taste. Serve hot.

I was lucky enough to serve this food to my entire family today, because we have the rare pleasure of all being together. Once again, hooray for family!