HOMESTYLE BEEF & BARLEY SOUP
When we were kids, our mom was a big fan of whipping out a can of Campbell’s soup anytime we were home for lunch. Most of those soups were about what you’d expect from a canned meal, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get dang excited over a can of beef and barley soup. I loved the heartiness of it! Fast forward to a couple weeks ago…I realized I had never actually had a homemade beef and barley soup. Obviously this needed to be rectified ASAP, so I did some research and some tweaking and came up with an unforgettable soup that is guaranteed to make you feel glad that the weather outside is rather frightful, because it gives you an excuse to make this. It’s definitely one of my new favorite soups! Here in San Francisco, we of course don’t get any snow, but our winter months consist of a lot of rain…so now here I sit, excited for the rainy days ahead in my forecast, because you can bet that means beef and barley soup and nice loaf of our favorite artisan bread.
Homestyle Beef and Barley Soup
serves 6
Ingredients:
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2-3 lbs boneless beef chuck stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
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2 tbsp vegetable oil
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1 large onion, diced
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3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
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3 stalks celery, diced
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6 small to medium gold potatoes, washed and diced
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6 cloves garlic, minced
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1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
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3 tbsp tomato paste
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1 c red or white wine
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1 carton low-sodium beef broth or stock
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1 14.5-oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
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1 cup quick-cooking pearl barley*
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1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
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Salt and pepper
Method:
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Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear half of beef until browned with a nice crust. Transfer to slow cooker and repeat with additional 2 tsp oil and remaining beef.
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Add remaining oil, onions, celery, and carrots to skillet and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and tomato paste, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits at bottom of pan. Cook until alcohol has evaporated out, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
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Add broth and tomatoes to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat until meat is tender, 7 to 9 hours (or cook on high 4 to 5 hours).
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When there is about an hour left in cooking time, add potatoes and barley.
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When meat is tender and potatoes are soft, stir in vinegar and season with salt, pepper, and a touch of sugar if necessary*. Serve!
Notes:
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If you can only find regular (not quick-cooking) barley, just add the barley at the beginning with the broth and tomatoes.
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If your soup is thicker than you would like, you can add a bit more beef broth until your desired consistency is reached.
