old-fashioned beef stew/soup

My husband's parents are awesome cooks, so are his extended family members. This recipe is a slightly tweaked version from his aunt who cooks really well. You can tell that she's a good cook when you see her children love to cook, too. Is cooking hereditary? When I got married, she wrote in a cookbook (her gift to us), "A full stomach is a good start to a marriage. Have a great marriage filled with many exciting meals!" 
This soup turned out really good and hearty - perfect for negative 16F degrees weather. :) It looks simple, but it's full of flavors!

Ingredients: 

Boneless beef round steak - 1 lb (1 inch cube)

[Beef marinade] 
Soy sauce - 1 TBS
Garlic salt - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp

Chicken or Beef stock - 2 cups
Water - 1 cup
Worcestershire sauce - 1 tsp
Bay leaves - 2 med or 3 small (med = 1 inch)
Garlic - 3 cloves (minced)
Paparika - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp

Carrots - 3 med or 4 small
Potatoes - 4 med or 5 small
Onions - 1 big
Tomatoes - 2 big

[For stew]
Cornstarch - 1 TBS
Water - 2 TBS

Prep: 

1. Cut beef into 1 inch chunks. In a bowl or Ziplock bag, add beef marinade. Massage the meat with your hands for 3-4 minutes. Set it aside for at least 20 minutes. 
2. Cut the veggies in 1 inch chunks (you can cut onion smaller if you wish). Set them aside. 
3. Mince garlic.

Cook:

1. In a large pot (at least 5 quart), add 1-2 TBS of olive oil. Fry minced garlic and add marinaded beef and brown them on both sides. 
2. Add in 2 cups of beef or chicken broth and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for an hour. Stir occasionally. **see TIPS
3. Add veggies and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes until vegetables are tender.
4. [If you want stew] Combine 2 TBS of water and 1 TBS of cornstarch slurry. Simmer soup until thickened. 
5. Season with salt. 

Serve:

1. It goes really well with rice. You can even add pasta inside to make it into a soup pasta. Yum! 

TIPS

• If you don't like strong herby taste, discard bay leaves after simmering the soup for the first hour (before you add veggies).