Beef and Barley Soup

We are in the part of October where every weekend is a pumpkin patch or a corn maze or a hayride, and I am not complaining because the kids love it and Dave loves it and I love watching them love it, even though I personally believe that a corn maze is just getting lost in agriculture and paying for the privilege.

Saturday we went to Russ Family Farm outside Grand Island. It is the kind of place that has a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, a hay bale fort, and a petting zoo with goats that will eat anything, including the sleeve of Justin football jersey, which happened and which Justin found hilarious and I found expensive. Each kid picked a pumpkin. Amber picked a tall, elegant pumpkin because she is twelve and everything she does is tall and elegant. Tyler picked the biggest one he could carry. Justin picked one with a weird bump on the side because he said it had character. Josie picked three because she could not choose, and Dave said yes to all three because Dave cannot say no to Josie, which is a character flaw I have decided to find endearing instead of infuriating.

We will carve them next weekend. I know this because I have already bought the carving kit and the newspapers to spread on the table and the candles for inside. I am an organized woman. I plan my pumpkin carving the way I plan my haul routes: thoroughly, efficiently, with contingencies for disaster. The disaster is usually Josie, who will want to eat the pumpkin seeds before they are roasted and will cry when I say no and will eat them raw anyway when I turn my back, because she is Josie.

I made beef and barley soup this week, a fall staple in this house. Beef chuck cut into cubes, browned in the pot, then onion, carrots, celery, garlic, beef broth, diced tomatoes, and pearl barley. Simmer for an hour until the barley is tender and the broth is thick. It is a meal in a bowl, hearty enough for a trucker and gentle enough for a seven-year-old, and it makes the house smell like someone grandmother is visiting, which I consider the highest compliment a soup can receive.

Gayle came for Sunday dinner and had two bowls and said it was fine, which from Gayle is two Michelin stars. She is seventy-three and her appetite is smaller than it used to be, but two bowls of barley soup suggests the appetite is still working, and that is one less thing to worry about. One less thing. I will take it.

Two bowls from Gayle felt like more than a compliment—it felt like relief, the kind that settles into your chest and makes you want to feed everyone you love immediately. This soup has always been my answer to weeks that need steadying: something slow-cooked and certain, filling the house with a smell that says somebody cared enough to stand at the stove for an hour. Here’s how I make it.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 medium carrots, sliced into coins
3 celery stalks, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups beef broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2/3 cup pearl barley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Brown the beef. Pat the beef cubes dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in two batches so the pan isn’t crowded, brown the beef on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Sauté the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the same pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
Build the soup. Return the browned beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, pearl barley, thyme, and bay leaves. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over high heat.
Simmer low and slow. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 60–75 minutes, until the barley is tender, the beef is fork-tender, and the broth has thickened. Stir occasionally and add a splash of broth or water if it thickens more than you like.
Finish and serve. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Beef and Barley Soup — The Bowl That Made Gayle Ask for Seconds, and I’m Calling That Two Michelin Stars