Soup, Costa Rican Vegetable Beef Soup with Yellow Rice

Costa Rican Vegetable Beef Soup with Yellow Rice

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin, bite-size strips
1 1/2 cups water
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) beef broth
1 large ear corn, cut into 3/4 inch thick slices
4 cups coarsely shredded cabbage
1/3 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
salt and pepper
Yellow Rice (recipe follows)

Preparation:

To make the soup, arrange beef cubes slightly apart in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a 500 degree oven for 10 minutes or until well browned.

Meanwhile, in a 3 1/2 quart or larger crockpot, combine onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf and bell pepper. Transfer browned beef to crockpot. Pour a little of the water into baking pan, stirring to dissolve drippings and pour into crockpot. Add broth and remaining water. Cover and cook on low about 8 hours.

About 15 minutes before beef is done, prepare the Yellow Rice.

While rice is cooking, increase cooker setting to high and add corn. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add cabbage, cover and cook until cabbage is bright green, 8 to 10 more minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into wide, shallow bowls; add a scoop of rice to each.

Yellow Rice

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon salad oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 3/4 cups water

Preparation:

Heat oil in 2-quart pan over medium heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring until onion is soft but not browned, (3 to 5 minutes). Stir in the rice and turmeric; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute. Pour in the water and reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.