beef barley soup

2 pounds stew meat cut up into bite size pieces
1 onion chopped
1 leek chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
6 mushrooms chopped
1/4 cup cognac
4 cups broth
1/2 tsp dried thyme or a sprig of fresh
a couple dashes of worcestershire sauce, about a tsp and a half

the other day the chick in the kitchen and i were discussing a dish called cholent (beef stew). cholent is dish that is cooked on the shabbas. usually in a crock pot or on the back burner on a low simmer for 12 or so hours. it sits all day and night. cholent is cooked with stew meat, beans and barley. some people add potatoes and carrots, some add raisins. it all depends who taught you and what your family tradition is. i have been researching this, because that is what i do, and believe it or not, there is even a vegetarian version that uses oats.

i know what your thinking, finally i come out with it. i grew up in a not so religious home, hence all the pork products i use, but i do have a very religious family. i grew up around all the staple jewish foods such as cholent, tzimmes, matzah ball soup, and kreplach. some of you might say huh? exactly, tzimmes is eaten on rosh hashsana. my aunt makes it with marrow, prunes and carrots (one of my favs), and kreplach is a dumpling that is cooked in soup filled with meat and spices. all great meals that some time or another a family member has made for me.

why did i chose beef barley soup? my aunt is coming over in 2 weeks and is bring me cholent mix, that includes the beans and marrow i would need in order to make it her way her way just seems like the right way to me considering that is what i grew up eating. i have been thinking non stop about this recipe, i decided late in the day to make the beef barley soup because i can’t stop thinking about beef and barley.

i will let you in on something, i have never made or have eaten beef barley soup before. all the recipes i looked at seems to be pretty consistent. beef, barley, carrots, onions, stock. so i just went for it. let me tell you, amazing. this is defiantly a dish to be made again.

beef barley soup

in a dutch oven brown your meat in a little bit of olive oil being careful not to crowd the pan, if you must, brown in batches. take out and reserve.
to the pot add all your veggies and cook for about 5-8 minutes until cooked but not browned, add cognac, stir and cook till evaporated and soaked into veggies, about a minute.
add your broth, thyme and worcestershire, stir and add your meat back into the pot with any juices that collected in the bottom of the bowl you set it in.
bring to a boil and then simmer for 3-4 hours or until meat is soft. taste and season, serve.
i tend not to season till the end, i like to see what it tastes like with out salt. i am not a huge salt person. if i do use, it is a trace amount, just enough to bring out the flavors in the dish.