Hot and sour soup

We recently ordered a batch of beef bones so that we could make nourishing bone broth, because I was starting to have trouble with my stomach again. Well, we wound up boiling the broth (rather than simmering it) and it was chalky and cloudy and we had to use this crazy method to clarify it. It worked, interestingly enough, so then we were left with several quarts of now-clarified beef broth and had to figure out the best way to use it.

We eventually decided on hot and sour soup, which we loosely based on this recipe and adjusted to our tastes, ingredients, and to fit into our mostly "primal" diet. I'm not even going to presume to give many specific ingredient amounts, because I've realized after following a lot of recipes that people's tastes and ingredients are different enough that the measures are kind of irrelevant and everybody has to adjust them anyway.

Here's how I made it:

(Primal) Hot and Sour Soup

A few Tbsp of lard, butter, oil, or other fat

1/2 chopped onion

1 lb pork of any kind, thinly sliced across the grain

Several large handfuls of thinly sliced green cabbage

A few grated carrots

A pint of sliced mushrooms

A little grated ginger and about the same amount of minced garlic

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Soy sauce

White or other vinegar

1 quart beef broth

Heat the oil in a medium to large saucepan. Saute the onions until golden brown, then add the sliced pork. Cook until opaque. Add the other vegetables in the order given, 3-5 minutes apart, giving each a chance to cook and wilt slightly. Add the ginger, garlic, and red pepper. Pour in a few glugs of soy sauce, scraping the pan to deglaze it as you do. Pour in the beef broth. Add a few splashes of vinegar until the ratio of hot to sour is right. Adjust seasonings and salt to taste.

We thought this was absolutely delicious, and are planning to make a shrimp version this weekend with the remainder of the broth. Bean sprouts (as in the original recipe) would also be delicious.