Today’s a rainy, gloomy day where I live and weather like this always causes me to crave a warm, hearty soup. While at the grocery store, I found beautiful center cut beef shanks that screamed to be used to make beef mushroom barley soup. Here’s the simple recipe for this comforting dish.
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3/4 pound beef round/chuck, cubed
- 1 pound beef bones (ideally with marrow)
- 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped into small dice
- 5 celery ribs, chopped into small dice
- 1 pound Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
- 2 32-ounce cartons of beef broth
- 1/4 cup dry Marsala wine or white wine (optional)
- 3/4 cup barley, rinsed in cold water
- 4-inch long piece of Parmesan rind
- Pour the oil in a large, heavy pot over high heat, and heat up for 30 seconds. Add the beef and the bones and cook for 2 minutes, or until browned.
- Add the onion and celery to the beef in the pot, reduce heat to medium-high heat and cook the vegetables for 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook and additional 3 minutes.
- Add the spices, the broth and the wine, if using. Bring the heat to low and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes.
- Add the barley and the Parmesan rind, if using, to the pot and simmer partially covered for another 30 minutes over low heat.
- Remove and discard the bones and serve.
Makes 6 servings.
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