Beef soup with noodles and vegetables

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 thick beef leg slices
• 2 liters of water
• Salt
• 1 bunch of soup vegetables
• 2 small onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cube of meat broth (e.g. clear meat soup)
• 2 handfuls of soup noodles (e.g. croissants)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 20 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 50 minutes

hearty, rustic, soup, simple and tasty, even for beginners

Place the leg slices in cold, lightly salted water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 1.5-2 hours, until the meat is tender. Remove the meat, let it cool slightly, then remove the bones, remove any tendons, chop the meat, and return it to the soup. Wash, trim, and chop the soup vegetables (we use a piece of celeriac, two carrots, two small leeks, and a bunch of parsley). Cut the carrots and celery into roughly centimeter-sized cubes, or even smaller if necessary, and the leek into slices about the same width. Pick off the parsley and chop it slightly. Tie the stalks together separately with kitchen string, and add everything to the soup. Peel the onions and cut them into thin strips, along the grain, not across the grain, as this would result in rings or half rings. It doesn’t really matter, but I like it better this way. Cut the garlic into thin slices and add everything to the soup. Add the stock cube (not absolutely necessary, but we like it better this way). After simmering for another 20 minutes, remove the parsley stalks and add the pasta. (I do this by adding a little more water at this point if the total amount seems too small, as the pasta will still absorb water.) Simmer the pasta according to the package instructions until cooked through but still firm to the bite. Season with salt and pepper, and then serve! Note: We often had this soup for Saturday dinner, with or afterward to a fresh sheet cake! Of course, you could skim off the foam while cooking the meat, add a browned onion with its skin, and cook all the ingredients, such as vegetables and pasta, separately to keep the soup clear. Anyone who wants to do this is welcome to do so. We like this soup exactly as I described it above—rustic and hearty—and I hope you will enjoy it just as much. A recipe from my mother. By the way, I make Mom’s chicken soup in a similar way, with rice instead of noodles and with chicken instead of leg pieces.