Rhumba Beef Hindshanks are my favorite beef bones to use to make soup, and I'll pick up several packages at the grocery store when I see them on sale ~ and stash them in the freezer. There's quite a bit of meat on those bones, plus the marrow in the cut bones is great in the stock (and the package is fairly inexpensive).
NOTE: If you don't have lentils, you could substitute tiny soup PASTA instead, but don't add it until about 5 minutes before you take the soup off the stove (or the pasta will get mushy)
NOTE from years later: Now that everything is so expensive (including Rhumba), I'll use whatever beef I can find on sale. You can even use smoked turkey or pork neck-bones, if that's whats the cheapest thing you can find!
BEEF LENTIL VEGETABLE SOUP
About 1-1/2 lbs. beef bones w/meat (I used Rhumba hindshanks~ short ribs are good too ~ or you can even use beef stew meat)
8-10 button mushrooms (cut in half ~ I didn’t have any this time, but love them in here)
About 2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white or yellow onion…………….....2 TB garlic, minced or crushed
1-2 bay leaves…………………………………......3 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
2 tsp. dried oregano leaves……………....…......2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 TB Creole seasoning……………………….......2 TB fresh parsley, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced………………………..........1 cup dried lentils
(tiny soup pasta can be substituted for dried lentils, but don't add them until about 5 minutes before you take the soup off the stove, or the pasta will get mushy.)
1 (about 14 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I like with Italian seasoning)
3 medium carrots, peeled & sliced………..…....1 TB Balsamic vinegar
1 TB good quality beef bouillon (even though "Better than Bouillon" is pricey, it really IS better than bouillon, and I recommend using the beef one here ~ 1 - 2 TB)
5-6 cups water
Kosher or sea salt, to taste………………….......coarse black pepper, to taste
***
If you’re using beef bones with quite a bit of meat on them, cut the meat off into small bite-sized pieces (easiest to do when it’s still partially frozen). Save the bones.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add any cut-up beef, onions and garlic ~ saute for about 3-4 minutes until onions are somewhat translucent and beef is browned (not necessary to be browned all over since it will cook later).
Then put in the rest of the ingredients (including any beef bones) and stir well with a wooden spoon (to get any bits off the bottom of the pot). Bring to a boil, uncovered. Then cover the pot and simmer until the beef is cooked through and the lentils are soft (at least 45-60 minutes).
Taste, and adjust the salt & pepper. Pull out any beef bones and take the rest of the meat off of them. (Push out any marrow that might still be inside the bones.) Chop or shred the meat and put the meat back into the pot. If you want, you can let it simmer another hour or so.