Recipe for Beef Barley Soup
Can anyone share or point me to a good recipe for beef and barley soup? I looked at Cooks Illustrated, but it calls for 6lbs of beef, not all of which is even used for the soup. That just seems a bit excessive to me...there must be a better way to make a tasty beef barley soup!
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
sljones
sljones
Sep 17, 2007 01:08PM
Giada De Laurentis cookbook/food network has a wonderful beef and lentil soup. You could probably trade out the lentils for barley. Her recipe is wonderful, easy and does not call for 6lbs of beef
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recip...
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I would just use a pound or two of beef bones: ribs if you need some meat, otherwise shins if you have some leftover roast beef to throw in, with lots of cut up veggies and stewed tomatoes for a couple of hours, then throw in the barley an hour before it's done. Very simple spicing: salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, bay leaf maybe?
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My beef and barley soup always comes about from left over beef and nothing is safe. Steak is the best one, or London Broil and I have made it with hamburgerif I get a craving and don't have what I need to make Albondingas... Hey it's beef right?
This is my recipe for Beef and Barley Soup.
Beef Broth - 6 cups use canned or homemade stock. If you use homemade, 4 cups of stock and 2 cups of water.
1 can of tomatoes - or 4 tomatoes chopped, save the juice, you can see just strain the juice with a sieve.
1 pound or less even, of beef, steak or London Broil - nothing too expensive it will tenderize as it cooks in the broth
Fresh garlic 4 cloves - sliced
1 large onion chopped medium
Green beans - fresh leave the whole or use Trader Joes frozen
carrots
Barley- ok I never measure I would use a half a cup if you have plenty of veggies
maybe a little more if not
salt and pepper
1 celery stalk chopped fine
sometimes mushrooms, white 1/2 sliced in quarters -its okay to leave them out
Garlic powder 1 T
Herbs de Provence - This is not standard, I like it so I will add about 1 T/another option
Brown your beef in oil and salt, pepper the meat.
Add the broth to a pot add the meat, the stock and the veggies. cook on a medium flame for about 1 hour, total 1 1/2 hour, turn on low, then add the other half of the onion reserve the carrot/ add them to the soup about 35 minutes. Check the carrot for doneness before you serve...pure comfort with a piece of sour dough bread.
I love this soup. http://www.flickr.com/photos/7220939@...
This is a beef and barley soup made from left over hamburger, and the remainders or frozen corn and peas,then I couldn't resist some parmesan cheese.
YUM! I like it....
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I know it does sound excessive, but I do love to make my beef barley soup from Oxtail stock, deeply browned beef, mushrooms and all the standard rest.
I do want that sticky from gelatin reduced from stock, added to barley *plump* But then Beef Barley soup is an event in my kitchen.
Otherwise nah, for beggie soup with beef and barley, a good stock nice veggies do OK.
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Thanks, these are all great ideas! The idea of using 6lbs of beef (and not all of which would even go in the soup!) just seemed a little too extravagant for a homey soup.
Thanks again, keep em coming!
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I make beef mushroom barley soup, here is the recipe, it freezes really well and can be a complete meal:
3 lb. beef short ribs, beef shanks, or chuck (you need both bones and meat)
2 large yellow onions, diced
4 carrots, scraped and diced
3 pieces celery, cleaned and diced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup pearl barley
16 oz. button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 oz dried mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and chopped
16 oz. whole kernel corn, optional
salt and pepper to taste
6 qt. cold water
Broil meat until well browned on cookie sheet, put meat and juices in large 8 qt. soup pot. Add all vegetables except corn, salt & pepper and water. Simmer on low heat for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Add corn if using it. Add pearl barley, stir well every 20 minutes so barley doesn't stick for total of 60 minutes, until barley is cooked.
You can add green beans, cabbage, other vegetables if desired. Essentially, this is beef vegetable soup with mushrooms and barley. When soup is cooked, remove meat and bones. Discard bones, dice soup meat in small pieces, add back to mixture. If storing soup in fridge, you may need to add some water when re-heating, as barley will continue to thicken soup. Freezes well.
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Diane, this soup sounds great and I'd love to try it out. One question...do you cook it for 3 hours and then add the pearl barley and cook for another hour?
Thanks!
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I make a Jewish beef mushroom barley soup that is similar to the one above, but no corn. I load it with extra mushrooms. I've found that if I brown the meat well in the pot, I can just deglaze with chicken stock and simmer the meat in stock plus water (use a mix - half & half) which cuts down on the cooking time.
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Yes, essentially you make the beef vegetable soup first and then add the barley and cook for another hour. The barley will keep swelling, so don't keep it laying around in the fridge too long after cooking or you will end up with mush - freezes wonderfully and reheats very well.
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Great, thanks. I'm always looking for new things to serve to my kids and will try this soon!
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Yes this sounds delicious! I love beef short ribs! You would get tremendous flavor with them. No broth needed with this one. MMMM!'
Thanks Diane!
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Look for The Frugal Gourmet's Beef Barley Soup recipe! I've made it numerous times, and it's incredible.
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I've been searching the internet for this recipe with no luck. Can you please post it?
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