Recipe: Vegetable beef soup with orzo - Argiro.gr

4-5

beef bones with some meat attached

onions, finely chopped

celery stalks, finely chopped

carrots, finely chopped

1 cup

chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)

1 cup

fine orzo pasta

¼ cup

olive oil

Salt and freshly-ground pepper

Equipment

Wash the beef bones thoroughly and place them in a pot with enough cold water to cover.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes, skimming the surface as needed.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the finely-chopped vegetables, except for the tomatoes, for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add them to the pot along with the tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the orzo to the soup.
Season with salt and pepper, then simmer until the pasta softens.
Remove the bones, shred the meat, and return it to the soup.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.

This beef soup is a nourishing winter dish, believed to help ward off colds and boost strength. On Paros, it is traditionally prepared with fine pasta such as manestra or mirmitzeli, similar to orzo.
Beef bones, often discarded, are rich in collagen and perfect for soups, stews, and sauces.
You can enrich the soup with any root vegetables or greens you like.
Beef bones must be washed very thoroughly to remove blood and small fragments before cooking.
Always begin boiling the soup with cold water, never hot.
As the broth simmers, skim the foam from the surface whenever it appears.
At traditional festivals on Paros or Antiparos, this soup is often served in a heartier style, resembling a juicy stovetop giouvetsi rather than a light soup. It is prepared in large cauldrons over an open fire, sometimes made with goat instead of beef and using the local pasta mirmitzeli.