A cold-weather soup in spirit even if you make it in April. This one starts with the Sip and Feast beef barley soup template, but I swapped leeks in for celery. Good trade. Leeks melt into the broth in a way celery never quite does, and the whole pot lands a little softer, sweeter, and more stew-like.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into cubes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 leeks, cleaned well and sliced into half-moons
- 4 medium carrots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup dry red wine
- 6 cups low-sodium beef broth, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup pearled barley
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
Pat the beef dry, season it well with salt and pepper, then brown it in olive oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Don't crowd the pan. Get real color on it. That browning is doing a lot of the work.
Pull the beef out, then add the onion, leeks, and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes until the leeks start collapsing and everything picks up some of the fond. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Pour in the red wine, turn the heat up, and scrape the bottom of the pot clean with a wooden spoon. Let the wine reduce by about half.
Add the beef back in with the broth, Worcestershire, and thyme. Bring it to a boil, then drop to a gentle simmer. Partially cover and cook for 45 minutes.
Add the barley and keep simmering for another 45 to 60 minutes, until the beef is tender and the barley has fully opened up. Stir it every so often so the barley doesn't settle and catch.
Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper. If it gets thicker than you want, add a splash of broth or water. Finish with parsley right before serving.
The leek swap is worth keeping. Celery brings sharper structure. Leeks bring roundness. In a soup this hearty, I like the rounder version.