064 / 75 · Make Once, Eat Again
Beef Mushroom and Pearl Barley Soup
4 generous soup meals, each with one-quarter of the beef, barley, vegetables and broth · Active 55 min · Total 3 hr 20 min
Print recipe · PDFBeef, mushrooms and pearl barley make a long-simmered soup that earns its place in a freezer. The beef needs time to become fork-tender, and the barley needs its own full cooking stage rather than a quick soak. Carrot, celery and onion soften into the broth without disappearing. This is a patient pot for a day at home, with four measured meals at the end rather than a promise of dinner in twenty minutes.
Brown in batches, then lower the heat
Use a trimmed boneless chuck arm roast cut into even small cubes. A lean quick-cooking steak is not an equivalent substitute for the long simmer. Pat the pieces dry and brown half at a time so their released water does not flood the pot. Browning develops flavor, but the pieces are not yet tender or finished. Once water and tomatoes are added, reduce to a gentle simmer. Frequent hard boiling is unnecessary; keep the lid partly on and check occasionally that the base has not dried.
Give the barley its own clock
Add ordinary pearl barley after the beef has had an initial head start. The packet may call for thirty-five, forty-five or more minutes, so check its directions before making plans for the finished soup. The meat should give easily when pressed with a fork and the barley should have no hard center. If one is ready earlier, continue gently with enough water rather than turning the heat high in an attempt to force both. Mushrooms and vegetables should stay recognizable in the final broth.
Freeze a portion you can actually reheat
Stir before dividing the pot so each of four containers gets a fair share of meat, grain and liquid. Barley continues to take up broth as it stands; add a small amount of water during reheating instead of assuming the soup has spoiled because it is thicker. Label the cooked date and freeze chilled shallow portions. A shallow container makes both cooling and later heating more manageable than a deep frozen block. The estimate uses raw trimmed lean chuck and dry barley, not cooked meat and swollen grain weighed as though they were still dry.
Ingredients
- 1 lb 5 oz boneless beef chuck arm roast, external fat removed, cut into 3/4-inch/2 cm cubes (600 g raw lean meat)
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon dry pearl barley, rinsed (160 g)
- About 4 cups sliced white mushrooms (300 g)
- 2 large carrots, diced (200 g prepared)
- 1 large onion, diced (150 g)
- 2 celery stalks, diced (100 g)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (6 g)
- 1/2 can crushed tomatoes with juice (200 g)
- About 7 1/2 cups water (1.8 liters), plus small hot-water additions if needed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (15 ml/about 13.5 g), divided
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (1 g)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt (6 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1 g)
Set out
5-liter/about 5-quart heavy saucepan with lid, Tongs, Clean bowl for partially browned beef, Spoon and ladle, Knife and separate raw-meat board or cleaned board, Fine sieve, Kitchen scale, Measuring jug, Food thermometer, 4 shallow storage containers
Allergens
Barley (gluten). Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Prepare vegetables before raw beef. Pat trimmed beef cubes dry. Heat half the oil in the heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and brown half the beef for 5–6 minutes, turning. Move to a clean bowl and repeat with remaining oil and beef. The meat is only partially cooked at this stage.
- Lower heat to medium. Add onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms to the same pot and cook for 9–11 minutes, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften. Add garlic for 30 seconds. Return beef and its juices, then add tomatoes, measured water, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, partly cover and cook for 45 minutes. Rinse barley and add it. Continue gently for 45–60 minutes, or the barley packet time, stirring occasionally, until barley has no hard center and beef is fork-tender. Tougher beef can take longer; add hot water if necessary to keep a soup consistency.
- Check thick beef pieces and the soup are at least 165°F/74°C; the long simmer is also needed for tenderness, not just this temperature. Stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Stir and divide the entire pot into 4 equal shares of meat, grain and broth. Serve now or cool planned portions promptly as directed.
A useful kitchen skill
Keep separate clocks for a tough meat cut and an ordinary dry grain; tenderness and a measured heat check both matter.
A useful detail
The 200-minute total allows knife work, two browning batches, the initial beef simmer and a full barley stage. Tougher beef or slower barley can extend it. Raw lean-only chuck arm roast and dry pearl barley are the nutrient starting states.
Another way
- Replace 300 g mushrooms with 300 g diced peeled turnip, cooking until tender and using the appropriate nutrient profile.
- Use 160 g quick-cook barley only according to its shorter packet time, adding it later so the beef still receives its full tenderizing simmer; the product estimate differs.
Keep it well
Divide leftovers promptly into shallow containers, no more than about 2 inches/5 cm food depth, and refrigerate at 40°F/4°C or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Do not wait for a deep pot or dish to cool on the counter. Use refrigerated portions within 3 days. Once chilled, seal, date and freeze at 0°F/−18°C for up to 2 months for quality. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat the needed portion to 165°F/74°C throughout, stirring; add water if barley has thickened the broth.