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Beef and Green Bean Soup

Beef and Green Bean Soup 


Just as it says in the title of today's entry, this soup contains beef (shoulder is recommended) and green beans. Why am I stating the obvious? It's been one of those weekends. Beautiful weather but lots of indoor jobs to do. 


Anyway, before I went shopping yesterday (the spouse was working) I looked in the fridge to see what we needed and saw a packet of beans on their last day of "best before". "I'll use those up, " I thought. The other ingredients of my 115th recipe from The Soup Book were onion, potato, vegetable stock and thyme. Very simple, very suitable for a weekend with lots going on. I made the yesterday for today's dinner. First the meat had to be sealed, then the onion was fried in the meat juices. I returned the meat to the pan, poured in the stock and continued cooking. After about forty minutes it was "show time" for the potato and fifteen minutes later again, in went the beans. It tasted pretty good but looked more like a stew than a soup. 


That started me thinking: "What is the difference between a stew and a soup?" You can find lots of pointers on the internet, of course. Here are some by Eileen Goltz. 


Characteristics of soup:

  • A combination of meats or vegetables cooked in  liquid
  • Most have a thin, water-, milk- or juice-based broth
  • Typically served in a bowl
  • Served hot or cold
  • Can be served as dessert if using fruit
  • Usually a first course
  • Cooked in a pot on the stove usually at a higher temperature, relying on herbs or garnishes for flavour



Characteristics of stew:

  • Thicker than soups
  • Thickened with potatoes
  • Always served hot
  • Minimal liquid to the point of being gravy
  • Always a main course
  • Can be cooked in a pot on the stove or in the oven at a lower temperature



Based on my experience to date, I have to agree with Eileen. So should The Soup Book have been called The Soup and Stew Book? It doesn't quite have the same ring. 


That's it for this weekend. 

Minnie




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