Beef, Wild Mushroom and Barley Soup is not a soup that can be rushed. Don’t let that put you off. The steps are simple, they just need time. Choose a day when you’ll be home putzing around with other things.
Trust me, there’s nothing like the aroma of homemade soup wafting from the kitchen. It’s the best pot pourri you can buy!
Learning to create delicious homemade soup will open up a whole new world of nutritional, economical and most importantly delicious meals for your family.
The plethora of commercial soups available at the supermarkets today makes the idea of making homemade soup seem a little redundant. Except it’s impossible to capture the depth of flavour achievable in a two to three quart batch of soup as opposed to a two hundred gallon batch of commercial soup no matter how technologically correct the recipe is.
My Beef, Wild Mushroom and Barley Soup simmered away while I undecked my halls. I’m always slow to take down my Christmas decorations. Only make this soup when you’ve lots of time.
Trying to rush through this recipe will leave you with something insipid rather than a rich and hearty soup.
I used leftover prime rib roast because I had it on hand, but it’s not necessary nor is it listed in my recipe. The most humble of cuts will work deliciously because of how long the soup cooks. Just be sure to take your time when browning the beef to create a lovely fond which is where all your flavour begins. Use your favourite mushrooms. I find wild mushrooms more interesting, but white button mushrooms will work.
Make a batch for the freezer to have on hand when unexpected company drops by or when you feel like a bowl of comfort food.
Thanks for reading.
Ingredients
1 pound stew beef
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2½ teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large red onion, chopped (2 cups)
4 carrots, cut into ¼ -inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary
½ pound fresh wild mushrooms mixed, trimmed and coarsely chopped
8 cups beef broth
½ cup pearl barley
Instructions
- Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
- Add butter and olive oil.
- Season the stew beef generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear the meat on all sides until well browned; this will take about 15 minutes. Cook the meat in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pot. As the meat finishes remove to a bowl.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, add the onion to the pan and saute until it starts to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
- Add the carrots and garlic and saute another 5 minutes.
- As the vegetables are cooking, cut the beef into a ½ inch dice.
- Once the vegetables are ready add the meat to the pan with the water.
- Bring to a boil, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 1 ½ hours.
Add the mushrooms, rosemary and barley continue to simmer the soup, covered, for 45 minutes. - When the soup is done, remove the rosemary twig [the needles will have fallen off]
Season the soup with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. - Serve in warm bowls.
Notes
THE LOVE: I left the rosemary whole, but in retrospect think it would be more pleasant chopped up. I was pulling whole rosemary needles out of my mouth.
