St. Luke - October 18, 2011

Okay, so I'm late.  I meant to post this yesterday, but it was just one of those crazy, can't-seem-to-finish-one-task-before-another-one-pops-up sort of days.  As it turns out, today is a *perfect* day for soup, and what's our recipe for St. Luke's feast day?  A traditional soup from Poland.  God has a plan for everything.  :) 

This soup is based on an old chant that says, "Sw. Lukasz, co w polu szukasz?"  ('On St. Luke's Day, what are you looking for in the fields?')  The idea is that, by October 18th, all work in the fields should have been completed, and all of the harvesting should be finished.  This vegetable-beef soup is a very loose and flexible recipe.  It's intended to use up your remaining summer vegetables (tomatoes, corn), plus incorporate traditional 'autumn' ingredients like cabbage and root vegetables.  In fact, another version of this recipe I stumbled across lists only beef, cabbage, corn, and tomatoes, but suggests adding peas, squash, -- any vegetables you have on hand, really. 

On that note, I think I've just figured out what to do with those turnips that showed up in my farmshare bag...

St. Luke's Day Soup

Makes 6 servings

    1 pound beef chuck roast, cut into bite-sized pieces           
    6 cups beef bouillon    
    1 onion, finely diced

    3 stalks celery, diced      

3 carrots, sliced   

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with liquid   

1 bottle beer, preferably amber or darker   

1 large red potato, finely diced
    1/4 cup barley    

1/4 cup lentils    

1/2 cup corn   

1/2 head cabbage, diced  

                                      

Heat small amount of oil in large stockpot, and brown beef.  Add beef stock, onion, celery, and carrots; simmer at least 30minutes, and up to several hours.  Add remaining ingredients, and season with salt & pepper, and parsley.  Continue to cook at least 30minutes until soup thickens slightly. 

Served with crusty bread -- no salad needed.