IN THE SIGMA KITCHEN: MAKING THE CURE

Aug 14

2 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

Last week I unfortunately acquired a severe case of food poisoning! And that was not at all fun. Took me out starting at 3a.m. and I was left in an extreme weakened condition for several days. (You believe you are in total control over your body? Yeah, right, you are more like a bystander :)

And not being exactly sure where it was that condition was acquired, I resolved to do more of my own cooking and I would share some of my own simple, flavorful, soothing and healing cooking with you.

In my recovery, I thought back to some of the things my own mother would make that healed me and gave me back my strength when I was not well, and this simple beef soup was one of those things that got the job done. Thanks mom :)

Ingredients:

One steak or beef stew meat, about 12 or so ounces

Half of a medium onion, one carrot and three stalks of celery, diced

Several sprigs of parsley, chopped

Eight cherry tomatoes, quartered

Four mushrooms, sliced

One can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (Optional)

One teaspoon of whole black pepper

Half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes

One quarter teaspoon of Thyme

Sea salt

Three shakes of Tabasco

Three shakes of Worcestershire sauce

One beef bouillon cube

Oilive oil

6 and one-half cups of water

In an appropriately sized pot cover the bottom with olive oil and heat it on a medium high heat. Place the steak / meat in the hot pot and get a good sear going on all sides.

This is what it should look like.

Have your carrot, onion and celery (mirepoix) diced and add them to the pot when you have the meat properly seared, that is where a lot of the flavor is. Cook the vegetables for several minutes until they are translucent.

Add the 6 and one-half cups of water, the pepper corns, pepper flakes a quarter teaspoon of Thyme, the sliced-up mushrooms and halved cherry tomatoes and the diced fire roasted tomatoes to the pot. Save the salt for when the soup is done and salt to taste. You can also add one beef bouillon for added flavor.

Now simmer.

Simmer the soup without a cover for 2 to 3 or so hours or until it has cooked down by one third, low and slow. You can remove and cut up the meat in smaller pieces and reintroduce it to the soup before serving. At this point the meat is very tender. You can properly salt the soup to taste now. Note: As the soup cooks gently skim off the foam and remove it.

Serve the soup with a big slice of delicious toasted and buttered homemade organic bread that was given to you by a good friend whose daughter in law in an excellent baker :)