With winter ragging across most of the country, I posed this question on Facebook:

What is your favorite soup?

I received a nice variety of responses, which included some of my favorite soups like Broccoli Cheddar and Italian Wedding and others that I had yet to recreate at home.

Nick described his beloved Steak & Potato Soup as “meaty and full of potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. The broth is rich but not too thick.” I’m fairly certain what he described was available in a can and included the word Chunky on the label :) I can work with that and so chunky this soup would be. A fine balance between a soup and a stew.

Soup will generally contain meat or vegetables that are typically brought to a boil in water or broth and served with a generous ratio of broth to meat/vegetables. Whereas a Stew has less liquid, is typically simmered for a longer period and is served with more meat/vegetables and less broth.

For the ‘steak’ you can use your favorite cut. I prefer beginning with tender beef that has some nice marbling. This is the star of the show so why scrimp and use a tough cut of meat?! I used Yukon Gold for the potatoes because I like how they hold together yet are nice and creamy. Fresh thyme is a must and caramelized mushrooms go perfectly in this hearty soup.

I pan brown the steak and mushrooms in batches because a nice sear really helps to build flavor. Remove the beef and mushrooms and reserve them until nearer the end of cooking.

Add onions, carrots and fresh thyme to the same pan and sauté until almost tender. Dust the veggies with flour or arrowroot (for GF), then deglaze the pan with red wine and tomato paste to incorporate all those yummy brown bits from the seared steak, all the while building layers of flavor.

Next comes the cubed potatoes, bay leaves and a nice rich beef stock or bone broth. Simmer soup until potatoes are just fork tender, then return the seared steak and mushrooms to the pot and heat through. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves before serving.

Homemade Steak & Potato Soup got two thumbs up from my favorite taste-tester. This soup will satisfy your best eaters and is the perfect cold-weather blues buster!!

Making homemade soup reminds me of one of my favorite cooking quotes.

“Cooking is a caring and nurturing act. It’s kind of the ultimate gift for someone, to cook for them. It creates all this beautiful stuff, conversation, appreciation, romance. All the most important things in life you do around a dinner table.” ~ Curtis Stone.

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Wishing you a happy table. All my best, Libby

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