Mom & Sons Beef Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Paula Dean's Lady and Sons Beef Vegetable Soup at the Food Network.com

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (if using chuck roast)
2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef short ribs or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds boneless chuck roast*
4 quarts cold water
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon seasoned salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced green beans, fresh or canned
1 cup frozen black-eyed peas
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or canned
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
Chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
If using chuck roast, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the roast in the skillet and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the roast from the skillet and cut it into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes; discard the fat. Place the beef cubes in a large stockpot. (If using short ribs, you can put them right in the pot with no preparation).

Add the water, tomatoes, onions, dried parsley, beef bouillon, dried Italian seasoning,seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic powder, black pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot; reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. If using short ribs, remove them from the pot and cut the meat from the bones, discard the bones and fat, and return the meat to the pot. Add the remaining vegetables and the macaroni and return the soup to a boil, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and add fresh chopped parsley. To remove excess fat from the surface of the soup, swirl a lettuce leaf around the surface—it will pick up a lot of the fat.

*The chuck roast will yield more meat, but the bones from the short ribs give the soup an incredible flavor.
**I actually used left-over steak (yes, we had leftovers because we limited the boys to only 2 pieces) and equivalent amounts of the "Better than Boullion" paste, which I L.O.V.E.-love! I loved making this with potatoes, corn, and carrots, from the garden.  Instead of black-eyed peas, I used 1 cup of dried ABC soup from the cannery.  It was closer to a stew than a soup, so I had to add water near the end since it had cooked down. Also, who has fresh parsley leaves just laying around?  Not I.  That was definitely skipped.  But with homemade whole wheat french bread, this was a delicious Monday meal.  Mmmm!