Caldo de Res (Beef Soup)

Another one of those great things my grandmother used to make when I was growing up was a hearty Caldo de Res or Beef soup. When she used to make this soup, it was always around this time. I used to remember when I was growing up, I actually hated it. You know as kids, we tend to always hate things that were actually good for us.

As I got older, I have learned to appreciate this little simple recipe. Granted, I continue to try to improve any recipes as I have with this one making it my own. My grandmother used to add potatoes and corn to this soup, whereas I have opted not to add that and I have used beef broth. Most of the ingredients that I got for this recipe were bought at the local farmers market.

Ingredients:

4 boxes beef broth or stock (16 oz each)
1 1/2 lb beef (bone in)
2 tbsp minces garlic
1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp worshechire
1 tbsp mexican oregano
4 stalks celery
1 large onion
3 carrots
4 zucchini squash
1/2 cabbage
2 sprigs of cilantro
Additional salt and pepper, as necessary

First, start by rinsing your beef. Sometimes you might purchase beef that have been recently cut (especially if you bought it from the meat market. This avoids any small pieces of bone that might be around the meat. Once you have rinsed that, add them into a large pot.

Place the pot on top of the stove and turn on. Add the beef stock to the beef. Bring this to a boil. Allow to cook for about 1 hour. You are trying to get the beef tender and this takes time.

Once you have the meat cooking, add the spices to the pot. This will allow the meat to get those spices as it continues to cook.

While the meat is continuing to cook, you can start chopping the vegetables. Add only the celery, onion and carrots as they cook longer than the squash or cabbage. With the cabbage, cut it in strips and place to the side.

After about 1/2 hour, check to see if the meat is tender. If it is, start to pull out and cut the meat from the bone as well as the fat. You can then throw away both as you don't need them in the soup.

 

While you are working with the meat, you can add the squash and cabbage. Allow it to continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes. You will notice that the cabbage and squash cook quickly since the soup is rather hot.

In the end, I add the cilantro. Some people also add some lime to the soup, but I tend to have it on the side and add as much as I want. I am having the soup with a couple of slices of avocado and some saltines. This is a great soup to have year round!