Beef Barley Soup with Mushrooms and Thyme
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 15, 2011
Time
3½ to 4 hours
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Rich Beef Broth For Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 6 pounds beef shank meat cut from bone in large chunks, or 4 pounds chuck and 2 pounds of small marrow bones1 large onion, halved½ cup dry red wine ½ teaspoon table saltSoup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 medium onion, cut into medium dice2 medium carrots, cut into medium dice12 ounces domestic mushrooms or wild mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and sliced thin½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme½ cup canned tomatoes, cut into medium dice½ cup pearl barley ¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves Salt and ground black pepperInstructions
- Heat 1 tablepoon oil in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; brown meat, bones, and onion halves on all sides in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, and adding the additional teaspoon and a half of oil to the pan if necessary. Remove and set aside. Add red wine to the empty kettle; cook until reduced to a syrup, 1 to 2 minutes. Return browned bones, meat, and onion to kettle. Reduce heat to low, then cover and sweat meat and onions until they have released about 3/4 cup dark, very intensely flavored liquid, about 20 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add 2 quarts water and salt; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to very low, partially cover, and barely simmer until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Strain broth, discard bones and onions, and set meat aside, reserving half of the meat for another use. (At this point broth and meat can be cooled to room temperature and covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.) Let broth stand until fat rises to the top; skim and discard fat. When the unreserved meat is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces. Reserve 2 cups shredded meat for soup.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a soup kettle or Dutch oven. Add onion and carrots; sauté until almost soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté until softened and liquid almost evaporates, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Add thyme and tomatoes, then beef broth, meat, and barley; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low; simmer until barley is just tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, including salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
for broth
for soup
Time
3½ to 4 hoursYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Rich Beef Broth For Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 pounds beef shank meat cut from bone in large chunks, or 4 pounds chuck and 2 pounds of small marrow bones
1 large onion, halved
½ cup dry red wine
½ teaspoon table salt
Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
2 medium carrots, cut into medium dice
12 ounces domestic mushrooms or wild mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and sliced thin
½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme
½ cup canned tomatoes, cut into medium dice
½ cup pearl barley
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Rich Beef Broth For Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 pounds beef shank meat cut from bone in large chunks, or 4 pounds chuck and 2 pounds of small marrow bones
1 large onion, halved
½ cup dry red wine
½ teaspoon table salt
Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
2 medium carrots, cut into medium dice
12 ounces domestic mushrooms or wild mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and sliced thin
½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme
½ cup canned tomatoes, cut into medium dice
½ cup pearl barley
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Rich Beef Broth For Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 pounds beef shank meat cut from bone in large chunks, or 4 pounds chuck and 2 pounds of small marrow bones
1 large onion, halved
½ cup dry red wine
½ teaspoon table salt
Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
2 medium carrots, cut into medium dice
12 ounces domestic mushrooms or wild mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and sliced thin
½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme
½ cup canned tomatoes, cut into medium dice
½ cup pearl barley
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For our beef soup recipe, could we make a flavorful from-scratch broth without slaving over a stove all day after bringing home a carload of beef? We could—using a full 6 pounds of beef shank (yes, you really do need this much) or a combination of chuck and small marrow bones. First we browned the meat and an onion in the pan, then removed them and deglazed the pan with red wine. Reducing the wine to a syrup, returning the meat and onions to the pan, and letting them "sweat" over low heat for about 20 minutes unleashed their flavorful juices. To finish our beef soup recipe, we added water and simmered for 1 1/2 to two hours—certainly more time than it takes to open a can, but not an all-day affair, either.
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablepoon oil in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; brown meat, bones, and onion halves on all sides in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, and adding the additional teaspoon and a half of oil to the pan if necessary. Remove and set aside. Add red wine to the empty kettle; cook until reduced to a syrup, 1 to 2 minutes. Return browned bones, meat, and onion to kettle. Reduce heat to low, then cover and sweat meat and onions until they have released about 3/4 cup dark, very intensely flavored liquid, about 20 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add 2 quarts water and salt; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to very low, partially cover, and barely simmer until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Strain broth, discard bones and onions, and set meat aside, reserving half of the meat for another use. (At this point broth and meat can be cooled to room temperature and covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.) Let broth stand until fat rises to the top; skim and discard fat. When the unreserved meat is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces. Reserve 2 cups shredded meat for soup.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a soup kettle or Dutch oven. Add onion and carrots; sauté until almost soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté until softened and liquid almost evaporates, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Add thyme and tomatoes, then beef broth, meat, and barley; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low; simmer until barley is just tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, including salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
for broth
for soup
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