Beef and Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1.2 onions, chopped
• 2.30 millilitre vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons
• 3.6 beef shin bones with meat
• 4.seasoned salt and pepper, Lawry's brand; to taste
• 5.4 garlic, 4 cloves; left in skins
• 6.1 stalk celery, with leaves; sliced thinly
• 7.6 carrots, medium; sliced thinly
• 8.2 tin butter beans, tinned; puréed
• 9.2 packet brown onion soup mix, 2 packets; dissolved in 4 pints water
• 10.1 tin borlotti beans, tinned; drained
• 11.1 tin lentils, tinned; drained
• 12.spinach or baby spinach, julienned or whole leaves; added just before serving
• 13.Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, shaved; for serving
• 14.focaccia, hot; to serve alongside

Method

1. 1.Sauté onions in oil till golden brown.
2. 2.Brown seasoned meat, garlic and vegetables in a little oil for ½–1 hour until sufficiently browned in a 200°C oven. Add a drop of water at the sides if it starts looking too dark. Deglaze pan with boiling water at end of cooking time.
3. 3.Combine onions, meat (cut into cubes), garlic, vegetables, puréed butter beans, onion soup mix with 4 pints water and cook till tender, 2–3 hours.
4. 4.Add borlotti beans and lentils.
5. 5.Season with beef stock and pepper.
6. 6.Stand overnight in fridge.
7. 7.After re-heating, add julienned spinach or baby spinach leaves — just for serving.
8. 8.Serve with Pecorino shavings and hot focaccia.

Notes

• Card note: '+ Add in 2 grated [Pecorino shavings]' — an additional instruction at bottom of card.
• Source type 'mixed' — printed recipe with handwritten annotations throughout.
• Beef stock to taste was crossed out on the card — the soup mix provides sufficient seasoning.