A long time ago there used to be a retail flyer service that went door to door hanging plastic bags of sales flyers on door knobs. The bags often had recipes printed on them. Bag Steak Soup is one of those recipes. It is a recipe in the “Betty Crooker” style of using substitute ingredients, such as margarine, that today are less popular, or desirable. Below is a snapshot of a paper copy of the bag, a well worn used copy from Susie’s recipe collection.
To modernize this dish, one might use this alternate version of the recipe:
Bag Steak Soup Recipe – Translation for the Modern Kitchen
1# ground beef chuck
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 gallon beef broth
1 large carrot, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 8-16oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables (amount to taste)
1 8-16oz canned whole tomatoes (amount to taste)
Pepper to taste
Omit salt
- Make a roux from the butter and flour. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, continuously stirring, then add broth a little at a time continuing to stir.
- Brown the ground beef, and add it, and all other ingredients, to the pot, simmering on low for 1-1/2 hours.
- Serve with a salad and crusty bread.
Condiment options, but not required, are: hot sauce, sour cream, chopped onions or scallions, and grated cheese.