Beef Barley Mushroom Soup
Makes 5 servings
Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
2 pounds English-cut beef short ribs
4 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 leek, small, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary and/or thyme
½ cup good red wine
2 quarts beef bone broth (see recipe below for homemade)
1 cup barley
— Salt and pepper, to taste
Beef Bone Broth
Makes about 2 quarts
4 pounds beef bones
2 unpeeled carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 whole leek, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, quartered
1 garlic head, halved crosswise
2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Instructions
For the soup: In a heavy-bottom pan, warm ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Season beef with a generous amount of salt and pepper and when the pan is very hot, sear well on all sides until brown and crispy. Set aside. In the same pan, add ¼ cup olive oil and the mushrooms and saute until golden brown.
Add the other diced vegetables and garlic and let everything cook together until soft and fragrant. Add the chopped rosemary. Add the red wine, making sure to scrape the dark bits from the bottom of the pan.
Once the mixture is reduced by half, add the beef back in, cover with the bone broth and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low.
Once the beef is tender (about 2 hours later), add the barley and cook for about 45 minutes or until the grains are tender. Adjust seasoning, to taste.
About bone broth: Bone broth can be made in a large batch and frozen for later. Use it to cook with or to drink for replenishment.
You can make the broth in a large stockpot or, better yet, a slow cooker on low. Total cooking time is 9 to 24 hours.
The bones should be a mix of marrow bones and bones with a little meat on them, such as oxtail, short ribs or knuckle bones (cut in half by a butcher).
For bone broth: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place beef bones, carrots, leek, onion and garlic on a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until deep brown.
Fill a large (at least 6-quart) stockpot with 12 cups of water. Add celery, bay leaves, peppercorns and vinegar. Scrape the roasted bones and vegetables into the pot along with any juices. Add more water if necessary to cover bones and vegetables.
Cover the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook with lid slightly ajar, skimming foam and excess fat occasionally, for at least 8 but up to 24 hours on the stovetop. The longer you simmer it, the better your stock will be.
Add more water if necessary to ensure bones and vegetables are fully submerged. (Alternately, you can cook the broth in a slow cooker on low for the same amount of time.)
Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly. Strain broth using a fine-mesh sieve and discard bones and vegetables. Allow to cool further until barely warm, then refrigerate in smaller containers overnight. Remove solidified fat from the top of the chilled broth before using.
— Johnny and Julia Gnall
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