Tuscan Beef Stew

Overnight we have gone into a new season, one that smells like Fall. The memories that the smell conjures up. The air reminds me of shopping for school clothes, school supplies, sleeping in the living room of the cottage with the windows open, evening golfing until dark, bonfires....things we did before the kids entered the school year again.

I love the line about this topic in the movie You've Got Mail.

"Don't you love New York in the Fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies.

I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."

I decided this was a great day to look for a Fall soup recipe. I hunted around in my freezer to see what it offered. I found a 10 oz. chunk of beef chuck in my freezer and cooked up my version of a

"TUSCAN BEEF STEW".

Cook the meat down at medium heat in:

3 cups water

3 beef broth cubes with a 1/4 c. of black cherry balsamic vinegar until the meat was falling apart.

Then I added

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp oregano

1 Tbsp sage

Salt and pepper

1 (15 oz) can of crushed tomatoes

1 medium zucchini diced

1 1/2 c dry red wine

Bring this to a boil and boil for 3-5 minutes.

Add:

5 cups hot water

12 oz Orzo, uncooked

3 additional beef bouillion cubes

Cook on low heat for about 1 - 1 1/2 hrs. until ready to serve.

Serve garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.