Suzanne Tracht’s Rustic Beef and Vegetable Soup
Courtesy of Suzanne Tracht
Yields 6 Servings
AuthorSuzanne Tracht

Welcome to Sunset Suppers, a series of cooking videos shot by chefs and food notables in the first weeks of self-quarantine. These days everyone’s living, working, and cooking differently. That includes us here at Sunset—where our homes have become our offices/studios/test kitchens—and it includes chefs. We asked our favorite chefs in the West and beyond to turn the camera on themselves and share their tips on how to cook easy, nourishing, and comforting food with the limitations of what people have on hand. Similarly we’d like to know what and how you’re cooking, so please share your hacks and home cook victories on social media and tag it #sunsetsuppers!

Few dishes are as comforting and nourishing as a soup of slow simmered beef and vegetables. Suzanne Tracht shares a dish she’s made time and again for the staff at her Los Angeles restaurant Jar for the evening family meal. The soup itself is as elemental as any and could be made with whatever vegetables you have on hand. In typical cheffy fashion she layers flavor, albeit improvisationally: Chiles add subtle heat to the aromatic vegetables, cabbage adds a healthy silky richness. You could just as easily make a variation with chicken too.

How to Make It

1

Put the beef bones in a large soup pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring up to a simmer over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, skimming the foam and impurities periodically as they rise to the surface. In the meantime, prepare the roasted tomatoes.

2

Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up on a baking pan. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Preheat the broiler. Broil the tomatoes for 5 minutes until slightly charred. Set aside.

3

Ladle the soup into bowls, distributing the ingredients evenly. Serve with remaining lime wedges on the side.

Ingredients

 6 pieces meaty beef rib bones (about 1 pound each), preferably prime rib or shank bones, excess fat trimmed
 3 qts water
 Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
 8 Roma (plum) tomatoes, halved lengthwise
 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
 3 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch chunks
 1 yellow onion, peeled, quartered, and cut into large chunks
 2 ears fresh sweet white corn, husked and cut into thirds
 2 fresh jalapeño or Serrano chiles, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded
 1 head green cabbage, quartered and cored
 4 limes, quartered
 2 bunches fresh cilantro

Directions

1

Put the beef bones in a large soup pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring up to a simmer over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, skimming the foam and impurities periodically as they rise to the surface. In the meantime, prepare the roasted tomatoes.

2

Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up on a baking pan. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Preheat the broiler. Broil the tomatoes for 5 minutes until slightly charred. Set aside.

3

Ladle the soup into bowls, distributing the ingredients evenly. Serve with remaining lime wedges on the side.

Suzanne Tracht’s Rustic Beef and Vegetable Soup

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