This is a very pleasant and nutritious soup for when you are trying to lose weight after spending some nice holidays. I found some interesting beef shank at the supermarket – my butcher’s is closed for a few weeks – and started by making a beef broth. The next day I removed the (little) fat from the stock and added vegetables, chervil and pasta. The chervil gives it a nice anise-like flavour.
For the broth
Ingredients
- Two beef shanks
- Three litre water
- A leek, two carrots, one onion
- Some herbs like thyme, rosemary, bay leave (or kaffir lime leave)
Steps
- Put the beef with the bone in the water, heat gently
- Cut-up the vegetables and add to the pan
- Add the herbs
- Cook for one to two hours, you want the water to boil to extract the juices from the beef.
- Let in stand to cool.
- Pass it through a sieve and set the meat aside.
- The next day, skim off the fat.
- Slice the beef in cubes.
For the soup
Ingredients
- 200 grammes of green peas
- One half of leek white
- A bunch of chervil
- 150 grammes of small pasta type macaroni
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Steps
- Reheat the stock and add the beef and pasta, cook for 10 minutes.
- Slice the leek and take the peas from the pods, add and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Chop the chervil. You can add the bunch of stems with the pasta and remove it shortly before serving. Then you add the chopped chervil and stir. Taste and serve.