I ran across this soup when I was doing a little searching for a different style of beef stew. Normally, I'll make a traditional style Beef Bourguingon, but I wanted to try a different base flavor. Though this is a red wine and tomato braised beef stew, the addition of aromatics like ginger, cloves, and cinnamon add a depth of richness to this soup.
I made this soup with orzo as the starch base, and yellow squash with zucchini as the lighter vegetable component. Though the method of cooking is similar to most beef stews, I left more broth in this and lightly sauteed the vegetables to keep it lighter and brighter. Additionally I used preserved lemons to give it a nice lemon base.
I also made this soup in a 2 day process to make the final product better. After I cubed the beef, I marinated it overnight to help tenderize and flavor the meat. For the orzo I kept it separate, as I do most starches in my soups, so that it doesn't break down and keeps the soup longer. And lastly, after the soup was cooked to the consistency I wanted, then I sauteed the vegetables and added them to finish each soup. Squash and zucchini will breakdown fairly quickly held within liquid, so this helps preserve the base. Additionally, if you wanted to change the flavors you could add leafier greens or other vegetables to make this your own.
Enjoy.
Ingredients
Beef Marinade
Beef, cubed* 3 lbs
Avenue Spice 4 T
Red Wine 1/2 cup
Cinnamon 1 tsp
Sumac 1 T
Ginger, minced 2 T
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 T
Soup
Garlic Cloves, sliced 4 ea
Onions, sliced 3 ea
Cinnamon Sticks 2 ea
Ginger, minced 3 T
Cloves, whole 2 tsp
Fennel Seeds 2 tsp
Bay Leaves 4 ea
Sumac 1 T
Aleppo Pepper 2 T
Tomatoes, canned 28 oz
Avenue Spice 2 T
Chicken / Beef Stock 4 qt
Beef Base 2 T
Preserved Lemons, rinse and diced 2 T
Squash, sliced 1 lb
Zucchini, sliced 1 lb
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3 T
Lemons, zested and juiced 2 ea
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Orzo 12 oz
*I used chuck for this, but you can substitute any collagen rich, lean cut of meat. You want to use lower fat content meat so it doesn't render extra fat into the soup.
Method of Procedure
Combine the ingredients for your beef marinade and cover. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, using a cast iron pan, sear your beef in batches so as not to crowd the pan. When done searing your beef, deglaze the pan with red wine and scrape to remove the fond on the pan. Reserve for addition to the soup.
While you are searing your beef, in your soup pot begin cooking your onions, garlic, ginger, and 1 T of your chopped preserved lemons on high heat to get color.
Add your beef and scraped fond to your garlic and onions and continue to cook while stirring.
Drain your tomatoes reserving the liquid and rough chop the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to your base, then season it with sumac, Aleppo pepper, and 1 1/2 T of your avenue spice.
Add your beef base and cook while stirring to help coat the meat and vegetables with the base.
Using cheesecloth put your cloves, bay leaves, fennel seeds, and cinnamon sticks then make a sachet.
After everything is lightly coated add your red wine and stir to mix. Once mixed, add your chicken stock (or beef stock).
Put in your sachet of spices and bring it to a simmer and cook for 2 hours until your reach your desired consistency.
Finish the soup with lemon zest and juice, then season to taste.
While the stew is cooking prepare the other two components.
Bring water to a boil and cook off your orzo.
Slice your squash and zucchini, then marinate with your remaining preserve lemon, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
Saute your vegetables separately and remove to cool.
To serve, place your squash and zucchini into a soup pot and add your kokkiniso base to it. Bring to a simmer, season to taste, and serve.
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