I am most often not a fan of leftovers. Most of the time, they just never taste as quite as good as when freshly made or I've already had the meal twice by now and I'm ready for something else. But even worse, I'm not a fan of throwing out old food and completely wasting something that was otherwise good food. Right now this is great news for my sister. When I make a dish that has multiple servings, I tend to eat it a couple times and then package it up for her to pick up on the weekends to take with her back to school. But I'm also on a budget so lately I've been focusing on reincorporating leftovers into a completely different meal. The Crying Tiger was delicious. I had enough meat for dinner, lunch the next day, and then some still leftover. But I ran out of sauce and the desire to eat more Crying Tiger. Plus I had to use up some mushrooms, and I have a ton of beef broth stored in the freezer. The combination just works. Beef and mushroom soup, anyone?
Asian-style Beef and Mushroom Soup
1 tsp ghee
1-2 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp ginger, crushed
1 tsp garlic, minced or crushed
1 large shallot, sliced thin
5-6 large baby portabella mushrooms, sliced thin
4 cups beef broth (preferably homemade)
1 can whole straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed
1½ cups cooked beef*
Salt, to taste**
Fresh basil and spinach or spring onions, to serve (optional)
Heat ghee and sesame seed oil in medium saucepan. Add shallot slices. Cook 1 minute and add ginger, garlic and portabella mushrooms. Continue cooking until mushrooms start to wilt. Add beef broth and straw mushrooms. Simmer 15-20 minutes. When heated, add cooked beef until heated through, approximately 5 minutes depending on size of meat pieces. Serve with fresh spinach and basil. The heat of the soup will lightly cook the leaves.
Note:
*I used leftover slices of beef from the Crying Tiger recipe. Any leftover steak or stew meat pieces sliced or cut into strips or chunks will work in this dish. The Crying Tiger was an Asian-style marinated beef so just keep in mind marinades if you decide to use leftovers. It may alter the taste of the soup.
**Salt to taste especially if using a homemade broth. I do not salt my broth so that I have more control when cooking. But be careful not to over salt!
*Make it AIP-friendly!
Substitute coconut oil for the ghee. Skip the sesame seed oil if you are going seedless. Use some coconut aminos instead. Use any cooked beef that is nightshade-free. Optional: Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top before serving for extra flavor.
*Make it AIP-friendly!
Substitute coconut oil for the ghee. Skip the sesame seed oil if you are going seedless. Use some coconut aminos instead. Use any cooked beef that is nightshade-free. Optional: Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top before serving for extra flavor.
