Well, hello! It’s been awhile. My schedule last week got all wonky because I had jury duty and was actually put on the jury. I know most people would rather have a root canal than sit on a jury, but I found it to be a really interesting experience to see first-hand how our justice system works.
The trial was a criminal trial and the entire trial took three days–one of those days was spent simply picking the jury! I couldn’t believe that they went through 52 jurors before getting to a final 14 members of the jury with alternates. The offense we were judging was a drug offense (possession with intent to distribute.) We found the defendant guilty which was kind of a weird experience–looking someone in the eye and telling them that they are very likely going to jail (we played no part in the sentencing.)
Since my week was so strange, we didn’t do a lot of cooking. We ate a lot of leftovers and foraged in the refrigerator for quick eats.
Beef bones rubbed with tomato paste with carrots and onions.
I was happy to get a chance to do some cooking over the weekend. I had been wanting to make some beef barley soup for some time–and I wanted to make the beef stock from scratch. Several months ago, I realized that it was super easy to make pretty darn good stock by throwing a bunch of ingredients into a crock-pot and letting it cook the entire day. I often do this with chicken parts, but I’ve never made beef stock.
I managed to find some beef bones at my local grocery store (for cheap!) and I painted them with tomato paste like I learned to in culinary school, threw them in a baking dish with onions and carrots, and roasted them at 425 degrees for 40 minutes. Then I put them in the crock-pot with about 10 sprigs of time, a bunch of parsley stems, and a tablespoon or so of whole peppercorns. I filled the crock-pot with water and cooked on low for 8 hours. The resulting stock smelled amazing and had a great brown color.
I used this to make my beef barley soup. I also added beans to the soup because they’re so healthy and yummy. The resulting soup was a cross between beef barley soup and pasta fagioli–and it was damn good.
Bean and Beef Barley Soup
I <3 soup!
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced small
1, 5 oz. can tomato paste
10 cups beef stock
1/2 lb. bag 15-variety dried beans, soaked overnight
1 1/2 lbs. chuck roast, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
4 medium carrots, diced medium
4 medium potatoes, diced medium
1/2 lb. pearled barley
1 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the tomato paste. Brown for another couple of minutes. Add the stock, beans, and beef. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the carrots, potatoes, barley, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook for another 45 minutes or until the beans are cooked through and tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recent Comments