Steak Soup

3 Cans of Beef Consomme`
2 Onions, medium chopped
1 24oz can of Veg-All (peas, carrots, potatoes)
2 6oz cans of mushrooms
1 6oz can of hominy
1 6oz can of corn
2 Trimmed Steaks, (biggest, cheapest cuts you can find) 3 to 4 pounds total
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Liquid Smoke
Lots of Black Pepper (to your taste, of course)

First, light or build a HOT fire in your grill or broiler.
Rinse and drain canned veggies (gets rid of lots of sodium).
Into a large pot throw all ingredients (except steaks) and begin to cook on medium heat.
Grill or broil meat only until seared on the outside; don't cook any longer.
Cube meat in chunks of a size you're comfortable with and dump it in the pot.
Add 2 cups of water and 3/4 of a cup of cheap red wine. (The wine is optional; grapes are the only fruit that can stand up to all the other flavors. Any alcohol will cook away. )
Increase heat to a slow boil. After a few minutes, start tasting. Be ready to add pepper, water or Worcestershire.

Remember that the meat needs at least 45 mins. more cooking in the pot, at least at a slow boil, during which time the taste of the soup will continue to mutate. After an hour or so it ought to be done, ready to eat or add Lois's rightly famous dumplings.

If you don't care for some of these ingredients, just omit them. Everything can be fresh, canned or frozen. Amounts of different ingredients can be varied according to your own taste. This is the way we like it, but the beauty of Freehand Cooking is that the recipes are made to be flexible. It's like living: it's a work in progress each time, just made up as you go along.

Sent to the Recipe Dude by: Freehand School of Flexible Cooking