Let’s face it, my saucy little aardvarks; these past couple of weeks, I’ve given you creative goddamn gold. I’ve been shooting unique, simple dishes at you like it’s no big deal. Well, today I’ve decided to go with something even simpler than normal, something absolutely anyone can throw together from stuff you’ve probably had sitting in your freezer forever, a nourishing meal that goes down easy and sits satisfyingly even if you’re as hungover as I am right now. A helpful tip: Never, ever go shot-for-shot with anyone on the Rocks Off crew. They drink like 60-year-old ex-cops trying to forget a murder.
You will need:
Start heating up a skillet and a pot. Dump the beef broth into the pot and let it heat up so you won’t be waiting as long for it to boil, then start browning the hamburger in the skillet. While the hamburger is browning, you can go ahead and dump the mixed vegetables in with the broth, as well as the bay leaf. Add some water if you need to, especially if you’re using condensed broth. I took this opportunity to drink some of that water, because I had sweat out enough tequila to stun a yak.
Mix a tablespoon of garlic powder and a half-tablespoon of pepper in with the meat and stir it all together. Once your meat is brown, drain it and put it in the pot with the broth and vegetables. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover it, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. This mixes all the flavors together.
Once it’s done simmering, just pour it into your favorite soup bowl and enjoy. You may need to add a little salt but not too much; two cans of beef broth contains a shitload of sodium, as it is. Go easy on your internal organs for once. I know I, personally, owe mine many apologies.
This article appears in Feb 4-10, 2010.