My mother always had soup on the stove or in the refrigerator waiting for us when we got home from school. Her beef shank based soup was the one that I loved the most. When I make it, it’s like a little visit with her, crowned by eating the marrow from the shank as she watched and smiled lovingly.
Beef and Macaroni Soup
1-two-inch thick beef shank with bone
6 cups of water, enough to cover the beef by an inch
1 - 14.5 ounce can of whole tomatoes, broken up with your hand into large pieces
1 large onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup peeled and chopped carrots, 1/2 inch pieces
Salt, pepper and a large bay leaf
3/4 cup elbow macaroni
Simmer the shank, water, tomatoes, carrots, onion, celery, salt, pepper and bay leaf for an hour and a half with a cover on. Remove the beef shanks and let cool until you can cut it into ½ pieces. Add ¾ cup of elbow macaroni and stir so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Cook until the macaroni is tender. Add the cut beef back in and simmer for a few more minutes to allow the flavors to marry. The one you love gets the bone marrow.
Brenda Athanus runs a small gourmet food shop in Belgrade Lakes, Maine with her sister Tanya called the Green Spot.
The Green Spot
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