CAJUN VEGETABLE SOUP

Prep Time: 1 hour
Yeilds: 12 servings

Comment: 
Vegetables were always canned or jarred during the spring months to ensure a good supply over the winter.  Often, when the weather started to turn cold, I remember a huge pot of this vegetable soup on the stove available for tasting all day.

Ingredients:
3 pounds bone-in soup meat, shank or round
¼ cup butter
1 cup coarsely chopped onions
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper
1 cup sliced carrots
¼ cup minced garlic
4 quarts beef stock
2- 15 oz. Cans diced tomatoes
8 oz. Tomato sauce
6 cubed red potatoes
1 cup whole kernel corn
1 cup lima beans
1 cup black-eyed peas
1 cup red beans
2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
1 –12 oz. Package vermicelli
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Method:
In a two gallon stock pot, melt butter over medium high heat.  Add onions, celery, bell pepper, carrots and garlic.  Saute three to five minutes or until vegetables are wilted.  Add meat and sauté for three additional minutes.  Add beef stock, tomatoes and tomato sauce and cook until meat is tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.  Add potatoes, corn, beans, peas and cabbage.  Cook an additional fifteen minutes.  Add spaghetti and continue cooking until spaghetti is tender.  Season to taste using salt and cracked black pepper.  Additional beef stock may be added to retain the volume of liquid.  You may also wish to add any variety of your favorite vegetables to this recipe.