Cut the beef and chicken (with the skin removed) into pieces. Put into a
large saucepan with the peeled and chopped vegetables. Add two litres of
cold water, the salt and parsley, tied into a bunch. Cook very slowly for an
hour and a half. Remove the meat and strain the soup. If you wish to remove
all the grease, it should be left to cool completely first.
Beef soup has always been considered an excellent tonic for building up
one's strenght and energy. Repeating a common, though quite incorrect belief,
Pellegrino Artusi recommended it for upset stomachs. Solid foods provide a
better cure, however.
Try supping it on a cold, winter's evening, garnished with chopped parsley,
or with delicious taglierini made from fresh pasta.