Vegetable Beef Soup (Fall apart beef!)

Tender chunks of beef simmer until they practically melt in your mouth, mingling with hearty vegetables in a rich, herb-infused broth that tastes like it cooked all day.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil (, separated)
• 500g/1 lb stewing beef (, cut into 1.75cm / 2/3" cubes (Note 1))
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
• 1 onion (, chopped)
• 3 garlic (, minced (1 tbsp))
• 2 celery (, cut into 0.8 cm / 1/3" slices)
• 3 carrots (, cut into 0.5 cm / 1/5" thick slices (halve larger ones))
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth/stock (, low sodium)
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine, Guinness beer or stout ((Note 2))
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp thyme dried
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 potatoes ((any type), cut into 1.5cm / 2/3" cubes)
• 1 tbsp (15g) butter or oil
• 200g/ 6oz small mushrooms (, quartered or halved)

Instructions

1. Season beef – Pat beef cubes dry with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Brown beef – Heat 1 tbsp oil until very hot in a large, heavy based pot over high heat. Brown beef aggressively in 2 or 3 batches, adding more oil if needed. Remove into a bowl.
3. Sauté – If the pot looks dry, add a touch more oil. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes. Add carrot and celery, cook for 2 minutes or until onion is translucent.
4. Flour – Stir in flour, then slowly pour in beef broth while constantly stirring.
5. Soup broth – Add beer, water, tomato paste, bay leaves and thyme, stir well. Then add the beef back in.
6. Simmer 1 hour 15 minutes – Cover with lid. Adjust heat to medium low so it's bubbling gently. Simmer 1 hr 15 min or until beef is pretty tender.
7. Simmer 20 minutes lid off – Add potatoes and peas, simmer for a further 20 minutes without the lid. Add cooked mushrooms in the last 5 minutes.
8. Finish – The soup is ready when the potatoes are cooked and beef is very tender (see video). Adjust salt and pepper to taste (I like lots of pepper in this!).
9. Serve – Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty bread if desired. Try quick Cheesy Garlic Bread or super easy Irish Soda Bread!
10. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.