Country Beef Vegetable Soup

3/4 gallon water or beef stock
2-3 large onions, sliced
2-3 lbs. of beef chunks cut into 1 1/2" cubes
2-3 tablespoons flour (for dredging)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 stalks of celery, sliced, strings removed
3 tablespoons beef soup base or bouillon
2 tablespoons wine (sherry, port or marsala)
4 potatoes, peeled, cut into 2 inch cubes
6 large carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/2" coins
2 bay leaves
2 16 oz. bags frozen mixed vegetables (optional)
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce or 1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tablespoon fresh basil (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon flour (for thickening, optionally)
garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper, to taste

Select lean, less expensive cuts of meat. By choosing a pot roast and slicing into cubes yourself, money can be saved over pre-cut stew beef. Cut and cube beef, slice onions and celery. You can optionally choose to prepare fresh parsnips or turnips at this time, for a heartier vegetable mix. Mince garlic.

Dredge beef in flour and sauté in olive oil until browned, adding garlic during last few minutes of browning. Add wine to remove browned bits from bottom of pan. Add water or stock, bay leaves and tomato sauce or ketchup. If you have beef broth it can be used to good advantage in place of bouillon or water; reduce bouillon or soup base to 1 teaspoon for added flavor, if desired, when using beef stock; add and bring to a boil. If you have no broth available, soup base is preferred over bouillon.

Add basil, if desired, and 2 whole bay leaves. Other seasonings may also be added at this time (a pinch of oregano, a dash of garlic or onion powder, salt and pepper, etc - season to taste).

Reduce heat to low. Stew may be transferred to a CrockPot at this time).

If cooking on the stove, simmer for an hour or two or until onion is transparent and tender. Stir in cubed potatoes, sliced carrots and frozen vegetables, if using, during final 40 minutes of cooking, and simmer just until vegetables are fork tender.

Or, if using a slow cooker, set to low, add remaining ingredients at the start and leave to simmer for several hours or more, until ready to serve.

During final 1/2 hour of cooking, soup may be thickened, if desired, by sprinkling on and stirring in 1 tablespoon of flour; or stir 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch into 1 cup cold water or broth, then add. Other methods are to add 1 tablespoon Wondra or potato starch. The thicker you choose to make the soup, the more stew-like it becomes.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

Served either with thickener or without, as your family likes it; this makes a hearty and nutritious dish which can just as easily be served in a pie crust as the filling for a beef pot pie, or serve with dumplings.