Beef Broth Recipe

Bridal Shower Beef Broth Food Anyone who has been to a bridal shower may well be aware by now of how elaborate the bridal shower menu can be. So when the ball is in your court and it is up to you to organize a bridal shower, planning the bridal shower menu list may seem like the most daunting task of them all! Surely the following questions must arise inside your head:-

How am I supposed to afford so many dishes? If I were to save cost and prepare the food by myself, where do I find easy to make recipes? The menu is divided into so many sections, pre-appetizers, appetizers, main course and desserts. How am I supposed to make time for all of the dishes which fall into so many categories? And most importantly, what are pre-appetizers supposed to be in the first place?

Well, we will be able to help you on that last question you have raised (actually we raised it, but that is just semantics!).

Pre-appetizer dishes

Pre-appetizer dishes happen to be similar to appetizer dishes in that they build the appetite and enhance the taste buds and belly, readying them for the onslaught of the main course. However, pre-appetizer dishes tend to be even lighter than heavy, full-fledged soups like vegetable soup which may contain every green eatable under the sun or come with multiple breads meant to be dipped into the soup. Pre-appetizers should be had just as they are, without the need of dipping anything into them. They should just be the essence of actual soup.

The perfect example of a pre-appetizer happens to be none other than beef broth. Some people who attend bridal showers just cannot survive without having plain, regular food even at festive events such as showers. Beef broth happens to be one of those dishes.

Here is provided an extremely easy to follow, step by step recipe for broth prepared from beef. First gather all the ingredients listed below (when it comes to the veggies, only some of them will do. After all, it would not be the end of the world if you do not add leeks to your broth).

Ingredients

Beef (About 1 pound fresh from the meat shop)
Salt
Pepper
Barley (not more than half a cup)
Parsley (finely chopped)
Some select vegetables to add flavor to the broth, plus for garnishing on non-vegetarian main course dishes as well
- Onion
- Carrot
- Turnip
- Corn
- Leek

Procedure

Start with the beef cooking. Place your pound of meat into a cooking pot. Pour water into the cooking pot and place it over your oven or casserole. Let the meat and water simmer gently for about half an hour or so.

Now you may start with the seasoning.

First the basics- Wash off the barley and sprinkle it on the meat along with some salt and pepper. Let it cook for another half an hour

While your meat is simmering away in the boiling water, start with the preparations for the vegetables. Take them and start with the chopping. Note that carrots should be chopped into bigger pieces, than say, your onions. Include these veggie pieces into your broth approximately after an hour or so since you first started simmering the beef in the water. Now let the veggies cook in the broth for an additional 105 minutes or so.

Note : If you are using leeks, it is better to dry them (after chopping them up first, of course) before including them in your broth. Use a clean kitchen cloth for the purpose.

Keep a check on the cooking beef mixture to avoid having it over cooked. Once you see that the meat is nicely cooked and the vegetables have gone all soft and juicy, you may conclude with your cooking.

Next, strain the broth from the rest i.e. the bulk of the beef pound and those pieces of the veggies too huge and chunky to be had with the broth. Of course, this does not mean you have to throw away these tasty morsels. What a humongous waste that would be! Serve the beef and the bigger vegetable slices as a dish part of the main course itself.

Pour the broth into your finest china bowls. For best effect, make sure that you serve the bridal shower guests the beef broth as soon as they arrive, when the broth is still piping hot and yummy.

It may seem like a lot of work, which to be frank, it is. But look at the bright side. After this preparation you will end up with not one, but two recipes for your bridal shower- the beef broth with the small pieces of vegetables floating in it (your perfect bridal shower pre-appetizer) and the actual cooked beef with the larger vegetable pieces (a robust entry into your main course menu for the bridal shower). Both of these dishes also happen to be a million times more nourishing and filling than all the desserts and quiches in the world put together. So turn that frown upside down and get cooking!