Holiday Leftovers: Beef Broth Edition

This year for Thanksgiving I did not make a turkey.

Sacrilege I know, but a "roast" sounded so much easier to shove into my crockpot.  Double sacrilege for the non-oven usage maybe, but as a huge fan of hands-off cooking I knew searing a slab of meat, browning some veggies, and letting them meddle on their own for a whole day was the way to go.

As if that doesn't make turning my back on turkey like a good enough idea already, the use of the slow cooker actually came with a second perk: broth for days.

After taking the three pound dinner out of the pot I found myself with about 5 cups of beef broth that had been deeply seasoned with mushrooms, red wine, onions, garlic, and rosemary.

Looking at this abundance of soup base I found myself at a loss for what exactly to make until I got the "borscht, duh" tip from a guest.

Scanning the list of ingredients you might think that aside from the beets, this borscht is slightly atypical.

I wanted to have a lighter follow up to the heavy holiday din, so I took a pass on a second round of beef and kept the broth as the heaviest thing in the soup then went about vegging it up with lots of carrots, fennel, cabbage, and dill.

The results were an absolute hit and surprisingly, the addition of pinto beans, which I agonized over for an unreasonable amount of time, stole the show.  The soup is known for its classic sweet and sour flavor, and I thought the pintos absorbed just enough of this to blend into the soup but held onto their own earthiness too, lending a nice depth to each bowl.

Enjoy!

Root Soup

Ingredients

• 4 beets, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 a yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small bulb of fennel, sliced
• 1/2 of a purple or green cabbage, sliced
• 3+ c beef stock
• 1+ c mushroom stock
• 1 c dill
• 1 c kale, chopped
• 1 can of pinto beans, rinsed well
• salt, pepper, and olive oil as needed

Garnish: Greek Yogurt, more dill


Combine:

1. Bring 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a shimmer in a big pot over medium heat.  Add the beats and saute for 5 minutes until well coated with oil and starting to steam.  Add in the onions and saute for another 5 minutes.  Add in the carrots, fennel, and cabbage; give the pot a big stir, then cover the pot with a lid and let steam for 5 minutes.
2. Pour the stock in the pot (adding more to cover the vegetables with at least one inch of liquid) and turn the heat up to high to bring until the liquid boils.  Keep the pot boiling for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to a simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Add the dill, kale, and pinto beans to the pot and continue to simmer for 30 more minutes until the beets are cooked through.
4. Spoon soup into a bowl, top with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh dill and enjoy!

Pinto Arugula Feta Almond Shallot and Dill Vinaigrette

Acid and oil.

A pinch of seasonings.

This is how the best dressings are made.  Light, quick, minimal simplicity that will help the ingredients of the salad come together and speak for themselves.

Lately, this vinaigrette has been my go-to.  The dill gives the dressing a Mediterranean feel that is brought out by the bright, red wine vinegar.  In this recipe it adds a little punch to roasted almonds, salty feta, fresh cucumber, shallots, and spicy arugula creating a one-two of bold flavors five times over.

Arugula Salad with Pinto, Feta, Almond, Shallot, and Dill Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 t dill, dried
• salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:

• 1/2 c pinto beans, rinsed well
• 1 T roasted, unsalted almonds
• 1 small shallot, sliced
• 3 T cucumber, chopped
• 1 T feta, crumbled
• 1 large handful of arugula

Combine

1. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
2. Toss the arugula in the dressing until well coated.
3. Gently toss in the other ingredients.
4. Enjoy!