Beef and Pearl Barley Soup

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g braising beef (chuck or blade)
• 150 g pearl barley (dry weight)
• 3 carrots (about 100 g each)
• 3 celery sticks (about 40 g each)
• 1 brown onion (about 100 g)
• 1 leek (about 150 g)
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 beef stock cubes + 1500 ml hot water
• 1 tsp dried thyme + 2 bay leaves
• ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 15 g)
• 4 slices wholemeal bread (about 40 g each)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Cast-iron casserole dish
• Chopping board
• Knife
• Wooden spoon
• Colander
• Ladle

📖 Steps

1. Cut the beef into 2 cm cubes, removing the largest pieces of fat and any sinew, then pat dry with kitchen paper: damp meat boils instead of browning. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Rinse the pearl barley in a sieve under cold water.
2. Heat the oil in the casserole dish over a high heat. Sear the beef in two batches, 4 to 5 min each, turning it only occasionally, until well browned on all sides. Set aside on a plate.
3. Reduce to a medium heat, add the sliced onion and fry for 3 min, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the casserole dish with the wooden spoon. Meanwhile, dissolve the stock cubes in the hot water.
4. Return the beef and its juices to the casserole dish, then add the barley, stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, skim off the grey foam that forms on the surface with a spoon, then cover with the lid three-quarters on and simmer for 30 min over a low heat.
5. Meanwhile, peel the carrots and cut into 1 cm dice. Cut the celery into 1 cm pieces. Halve the leek lengthways, rinse it thoroughly between the layers to remove any soil, then slice it thinly.
6. Add the vegetables to the casserole dish and cook for a further 45 min over a low heat at a gentle simmer, stirring every 15 min as the barley tends to stick to the bottom. If the soup thickens too quickly, cover the casserole dish completely.
7. The soup is ready when the beef breaks apart easily with a fork and the plump barley has thickened the broth. Remove the bay leaves, taste and add salt only if needed, as the stock cubes are already salty. Season with pepper.
8. Chop the parsley and scatter it over the soup just before serving in warm bowls, with the slices of wholemeal bread, toasted or plain, on the side.