Comfort Food: Vegetable Beef Soup

One of my favorite winter treats is a good, thick vegetable beef soup. My recipe varies depending on what ingredients I have, but this is generally how I make it:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of carrots, diced
2 cups of celery, diced
about 1 tablespoon total of herbs (I used 2 bay leaves, 1t oregano, 1t thyme, and 1 t rosemary this time. Sometimes I use herb blends like Penzy's Mural of Flavor or Tuscan Sunset.)
2-3 cups of tomatoes, diced
1-1 1/2 lbs of chuck roast, cut into small pieces, fat cut off and discarded
beef neck bone pieces
2 cups of corn
2 cups of green beans
1 cup of red wine (whatever I have leftover, usually a Cabernet)
3 cups of beef stock (add more if you like a brothier soup)
salt and pepper to taste

First, I saute the onions over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes until they start to turn a little golden. Then I add the garlic and continue to saute them until the onions and garlic are a little more golden, about 8 minutes. Then I stir in the celery, carrots, and herbs and gently saute them for about 5 minutes. Then I add the remaining ingredients. I turn the heat up to medium high until the soup begins to boil.  Then I turn down the heat to medium low again and simmer the soup for a couple of hours.