You can eat as a soup, or add more barley and serve it thick. My husband is a huge fan of this soup.
Beefy Mushroom Barley Soup
Servings
4 Servings
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1½ to 2 pounds shin meat on the bone
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 celery ribs finely chopped (about ¾ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups beef stock
- 2 carrots peeled and finely chopped (about ¾ cup)
- 1 medium onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup pearl barley
- ¾ pound button mushrooms sliced
- Several sprigs thyme
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat.
- Dry beef with paper towels; season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. When oil is shimmering hot, sear beef until crusty brown all over, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. Remove with tongs and reserve.
- In the same pot, cook and stir celery, carrots, onions, and garlic, about 10 minutes, adding and heating more oil if needed. Pour stock and 4 cups water into the pot. Add bay leaves and reserved beef. Cover and cook over low heat about 45 minutes. After that time, add barley. Cover and continue cooking for 45 minutes longer.
- While the soup cooks, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and thyme. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
- After the soup has cooked for the 1½ hours, transfer meat to a cutting board. Add mushrooms and thyme to the soup pot and continue cooking. Cut meat into small dice, trimming the fat. Toss the diced beef into the pot and cook several minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. The soup might thicken as it stands; you can add hot water or heated stock as needed.
- June’s Caesar Salad
- In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup white vinegar, 1 grated garlic clove, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon sea salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste, juice of half a lemon, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon light soy sauce. Let the flavors marinate before whisking in olive oil to taste (about ½- 1 cup depending on how vinegary you like your dressing).
Sure, if you can find beef soup powder that is better, but even chicken soup powder will work.
We do not have beef stock in Israel. Is chicken soup powder reasonable to use every place beef stock is called for?
Thank you June – this soup proved to be very healing for my partner’s bowel problems.
That sounds delish, they are a bit pricier, hence the shin meat- but I’m all for tossing short ribs(flanken) in anytime.
I use Beef Flanken or English cut short ribs. Think they have more flavor.
This is so good and believe it or not can be added generously to the Diabetic Diet.
Great with a dinner salad and crusty breads.