Comfort in a Bowl

This humble, unassuming little acrylic box, stuffed with recipe cards and folded up pieces of paper is one of my most treasured possessions.  It was my mom's recipe box. Contained inside is a bunch of her collected recipes, both written and typed, on cards and sheets of paper; some given to her by friends, some that she cut out from newspapers and magazines, and my favorites- the ones in her own writing.  Her awesome, unique writing.  

I have a few recipes in the pipeline to share, but wasn't sure which to share first.  Since today is my mom's birthday, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share a recipe for one of her dishes - which also happens to be one of my all-time favorites - as my first. 

It may not look like anything special, but this here is my number one comfort food, hands down.  It's a version of the soupy beef stew that my grandma used to make, then I'm assuming she taught it to my mom, who then taught it to me.  It's not fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but it's one of my favorite things to cook, for the simple fact that it straight up makes me happy.  I make this soup whenever I'm in need of a little pick-me-up, or even when I'm not. :)

Oato Beef Stew Soup

Here's what you need:

1-1.25 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 32 oz. carton beef broth
2 8oz. cans tomato sauce
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
water

Here's how I make it:

- In a large, heavy stock pot or dutch oven, brown meat in 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Salt and pepper.  Drain excess oil, return pot to stove.
- Add onions, celery, and garlic, saute over medium heat until the onions and celery are softened.
- Add beef broth, plus 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until the meat is soft (1-1.5 hours).
- Add carrots, potatoes, cabbage, tomato sauce, plus 2 (tomato sauce) cans of water.
- Return to a boil, then simmer until carrots and potatoes are done.
- Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve in a big bowl over steamed rice.

As you can see, there really isn't much to it- it's a simple soup.  But not to me.  To me it's so much more.  To me, it's my mom, who would cook this on a Sunday afternoon, which would automatically make me feel better about having to go to school the next day.  She would serve it up in the big, shallow, white porcelain dishes that we still use to eat with every day.  It's my grandma, who would call us all "Dear," who would cook this and sometimes add elbow macaroni in at the end, which made it extra fun when I was little.  It's a direct line to these women who will always be with me, especially when I cook this for us.  It's home.  It's family.  It's love.