Beef Barley Soup
Abe says
There comes a time in one’s life, or at least over the course of the seasons, yearly, that nothing else will do except a bowl of hearty, satisfying soup. Technically these soups are wintry, like the wintry mixes that will occasionally plague regional transit back east, but these days this time comes in the fall when temperatures take their first dip here in the northwest and it becomes abundantly clear that the gray has settled in for the long haul.
One of my favorites is beef barley soup. The incarnation that I like to make is every bit familiar with just a couple variations, although after proper cooking it is probably closer to being a stew. To start with the February 2000 Bon Appétit recipe is delicious, but there’s something about the expensive beef cut and lack of bones that violates my soupy sensibilities. I also dare you to produce 1 cup exactly of all the required vegetables and not have to go out of your way to use the odd bits and ends left over.
The point of the below recipe isn’t precision or even accuracy; the idea is that you put a bunch of things in a pot and simmer them for a while, and at the end you have delicious soup. I’ve included the ingredients that I like to use, but these are mere guidelines. Most any mix of winter root vegetables will do as long as they have adequate starch to thicken the whole thing. Carrots or celery root would be great additions or replacements. As far as the beef, short ribs become melting but would simply be too much without more traditional “stew meat”. I also like a lot of barley (as pictured), but you could just as easily cut the amount by half or half a cup. The herbs can be fresh, frozen, or dried. Broccoli and cauliflower are pretty much the only non-standard requirements in my book — they add interest and texture and color.
Beef Barley Soup
Adapted from Bon Appétit
serves 8 as a main course
3/4 lb beef stew meat
3/4 lb bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 small turnip, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, thickly sliced
1 small head cauliflower (or half a larger head)
1 small head broccoli (or half a larger head)
4 cups beef broth or stock
1 1/2 cups pearl barley
4 Tbsp tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs each, thyme, oregano, and parsley
2 bay leaves
cinnamon and cayenne
vegetable oil, salt, and pepper
Preheat a large (8 qt) pot to medium-high.
Cut the short ribs from the bones and then into chunks. Season all beef with salt and pepper and brown meat and bones for 8 minutes in 2-3 Tbsp oil. Transfer to a bowl.
Reduce heat to medium and add onion, celery, and an additional Tbsp of oil if needed. Sauté until onion is translucent, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to another bowl.
Return meat and bones to the pot with water to cover by a couple inches and season with salt. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes, skimming as needed. Skimming is easiest with a small fine meshed sieve; use a large bowl of water to rinse it.
Add barley, all vegetables except for the broccoli and cauliflower, along with garlic, tomato paste, and herbs (tied up with string if you like). Add broth and then water to cover by an inch, and return to a simmer. Season with salt to taste and then a dash of cinnamon, a couple dashes of cayenne, and several healthy grinds of pepper. Simmer for 50 minutes, half-covered, stirring occasionally.
Cut broccoli and cauliflower into small florettes. Discard the cauliflower stem but peel the broccoli stem well and cut it into 1 1/2″ batons. Add both, check seasonings, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with freshly ground black pepper on top.
Like most good soups, this will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.
Ann says
First off, let me just say this. Everyone in Seattle STOP WHINING ABOUT THE GRAY! This is SEATTLE! You do not have to live here! Personally, I like the gray. I grew up here. If it didn’t turn gray in the fall, I’d be pissed. It’s not as though we don’t get any sun ever. I love Seattle winters. So everybody else can just shut up.
Second, Abe has been a dear. I took doula training for a couple of weekends at the Seattle Midwifery School, which is amazing, but twenty hours of my weekend were thus eaten up by this training after an already completely packed week of nursing school requirements. So, Abe has been making us dinner on both days of the weekend, and this is what I came home to on the third night of doula training. It was SO GOOD. The broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, and turnip. So a must. So delicious. Everythig melds together so wonderfully. I was disappointed to find out, a few days later, that it was all gone. Make this soup. It is the tasty.
What excellent timing! I’ve been interested in soup recently as well and just got interested in barley. This looks delicious with the mix of short ribs and sweet potato. Have you tried this with non-pearled barley?
Hmm I’ve only made it with pearled barley. If I was going to use a less-processed type I’d probably cut the quantity back to account for the chewiness.
I only eat soup on days that end in “y”.
Seriously, though, this used to be one of my favorite soups. However, it turns out that I cannot eat barley or wheat anymore, so along with pizza and beer all my barley soup recipes are out the window.
So I substitute with lentils or brown rice…and it’s still good. But not the same, alas.
i really enjoyed this post please produce more like it :)