Under the flank steak, I found a small freezer bag with about 8 pieces of unknown meat—probably beef. I always assume that I’ll remember what is in these bags—I’ve begun marking pieces of meat that go into the freezer.

We slipped off the tracks of responsible eating for a weekend supper of corned beef and cabbage, but who’ll know? Back on track and following the self-imposed rules of “Clean out the frig”, I found one carrot and a turnip in the vegetable bin. Stone soup was right around the corner. A half bag of barley from the bean/noodle/nut drawer sealed the deal and a fine beef barley soup with enough barley left over for a wild rice/barley pilaf was in the works.

I made my first beef barley soup one morning at Sound Food. After searching through the walk-in for the day’s menu, soup for lunch was my priority. The blustery weather and last night’s beef stew made for an easy call. Beef barley soup hit the right notes—comforting, cheap, and available. I trimmed, chopped, browned, and stirred with a frequent eye on the ticking clock: the lunch bunch was on the way.

After a two-hour simmer, a peak under the pot lid revealed a sticky, gray, unappetizing mass of barley, beef, and vegetables. Barley has a life of its own: growing, exuding starch, and absorbing all liquid. I’ve since cooked the barley separately and added it to the soup for the last 20 minutes.

The following recipe for soup may seem steppy, but if you are patient when building the flavor base for any soup it will taste much better.

P.S.
We had an “interesting” dinner with the leftover grilled flank steak—an Asian-flavored stir-fry with broccoli, onions, tomatoes, and sliced steak over a barley/wild rice pilaf. I think I touched at least six countries that night.



Beef barley soup

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/2 pound beef cubes, short ribs, or chuck roast
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 Tbs. minced sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
• 6 cups chicken stock

• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 cups chopped cabbage

•1/3 cup pearl barley, rinsed, and cooked

Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add 1 Tbs. of the oil. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides until well browned; this will take about 15 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium, add remainder of oil to the pan. Add the onion and thyme to the pan and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes—saute five minutes. Add chopped canned tomatoes, saute five minutes.

Return the meat to the pan, add chicken stock. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 2-3 hours or until the meat is just tender.

While meat and broth are simmering, rinse the barley and cover it with water plus about 2 inches of water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until barley is tender—usually 45-60 minutes. Drain and rinse.

When the meat is fork tender, add the carrots or other hard vegetables—rutabagas (rutabagas are so hard, they can almost be added with the meat), parsnips, etc. and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add softer vegetables—cabbage, potatoes, or zucchini, the amount of cooked barley you prefer, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper or Tabasco.