Beef Barley Soup

To make the short stock, roughly chop the onions, celery and carrot. Heat a pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sauté the mirepoix until it starts to brown. Once browned, add the bones, followed by the stock.

*Note: I usually make this soup after I have made Prime Rib. I just freeze the bones and any leftover meat until I am ready to make the soup.

Next, add the seasonings and bring to a simmer. Let cook for at least 1 1/2 hours, to fully extract the flavors.

While the stock is cooking, you can prepare the mirepoix for the soup.

Once done the stock is done, strain it and remove any excess fat. Set aside while you start the soup.

To prepare the mirepoix, dice the celery, carrots and onions into medium dice. Try and cut all of the mirepoix roughly the same size.

The amount of mirepoix you will need will depend on how much stock you have and how thick you like your soup. When it comes to beef barley, I like it fairly thick, so my pot of soup is almost half full of mirepoix.

To gauge how much you will need, first see how much stock you have and then chop just over half of that amount in mirepoix (it will be a little less once cooked). I was left with 8 cups of stock, so I cut up about 5 cups of mirepoix.

To prepare the beef, remove any excess fat and then dice into cubes about the same size as the mirepoix.

To start the soup, heat a large pot over medium-low heat. Add enough oil to lightly coat the surface of the pot and then add the mirepoix. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.

Sweat the mirepoix for about 15 minutes or so until softened. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and set aside.

Once the vegetables have started to soften and become somewhat translucent, add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so.

Add the beef to the mirepoix.

Next, add the stock to the soup pot and gently stir to combine. Add the bay leaf and the leaves from the sprigs of thyme.

Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Depending on how salty your stock and bones were, you may need to add a teaspoon or more of salt. Simply adjust the seasoning as you go.

Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and then adjust the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer. Let cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the beef starts to fall apart a bit and the vegetables are cooked through, but not mushy.

As the soup simmers, cook the barley. I like to cook the barley separately, rather than add it directly to the soup. This way the soup does not become too thick as the barley cooks in it.

To cook the barley, add it to a medium pot along with the stock and seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat. Cover with a tight fitting lid and let cook for about 30 minutes.

Once done, remove from the heat and let rest for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and let sit until the soup has finished cooking.

To finish the soup, add the barley to the soup, stir and taste for seasoning. If you like, you can add a bit more fresh thyme. Adding it at this stage will keep it bright and makes for nice presentation.

To serve the soup, garnish with a teaspoon or so of horseradish and Dijon, if you like. This soup is hearty enough to make it a meal; however, it would also be nice served with some nice French bread or some garlic crostini.