Hubert Humphrey’s Homemade Beef Soup

“This is Mrs. Humphrey’s favorite recipe for beef soup — and incidentally my favorite meal.” -Hubert Humphrey

This recipe was originally submitted in 1959 by Hubert Humphrey, back when he was a U.S. senator from Minnesota, to a book called Political Pot Luck: A Collection of Recipes from Men Only. Humphrey, who is best known for his role as Vice President to Lyndon B. Johnson in the sixties, apparently loved this stew enough to call it his most favorite meal. You might discover it’s yours too. 

If you’re looking for a quick dinner to whip together last minute, this isn’t it. This tasty beef soup calls for quite a bit of cook time… approximately 3 hours. But if you’ve got the time, the slow cooking makes the beef so tender, it’s worth the effort. It’s so flavorful, my two year old even ate three bowls of it.

At the end of the recipe submission, Humphrey states, “This soup or stew is almost a full meal in itself. It is very thick and full of good vitamins and energy. Generally, a good fruit salad, saltines, coffee and dessert is all one needs for a wonderful supper.”

Here’s the recipe for that “wonderful supper,” just as it was submitted all those years ago.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs. stew beef or pieces of chuck

1 soup bone*

Cover with cold water in heavy 3 quart sauce pan. Add salt, pepper and two bay leaves and heat to bubbly stage. Then turn the heat very low and add the following:

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped cabbage

4 or 5 medium carrots, sliced

pinch of oregano

Simmer for at least 2 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender. Remove bone and bay leaves. Cup pieces of meat into bite size. Then add:

1 can of diced tomatoes (Italian style preferred)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 beef bouillon cube

Simmer again for 1/2 hour or longer — until you are ready to eat.

*If you don’t have a soup bone on hand (I sure didn’t), you can substitute it with a cup or two of beef stock/broth to taste.