Apr 25: Barley Beef Soup

With leftover roast from a couple days ago. Okay, It was more than a "couple" days.

Take two:
With leftover roast from a few days ago. I had a hankering for Barley Beef Soup. Thank goodness for refrigeration cycle and the advent of refrigerators! lol :)

Simple recipe...

Beef Barley Soup
2/3 C Carrot, large dice
2/3 C Celery, large dice
1 to 1 1/3 C Onion, smaller dice
1 C Beef, diced
3 quarts Water
1 T of Beef Soup Base [Could add another teaspoon or two]
1/4 t Thyme
1 Clove of Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Sweat the veggies - celery, onion, carrots and the garlic. For the oil, I used the beef trimming and a little beef fat


After a few minutes, add the barley (uncooked), beef, water and soup base.
Simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours. I added the thyme after 1 hour of simmering.


The finished soup... The barley plumped up nicely.
However, still needs a little more salt. Next time, I'll use a little more soup base per the instructions.



The new "secret" ingredient... Usually I would use packaged broth or bouillon cubes, but I've seen on some cooking shows where chefs mention using soup base. Also, there's a cooking magazine that likes to illustrate their point that rates soup base rather highly.

The flavor is very similar to the fond from a freshly roasted beef while bouillon cubes are mainly salty with shades of beefiness.

Hmmm... This would also make a good start for the dip in a French dip sandwich. :)