Beef Barley Stew 2.0

On cold days, rainy days or even when it is grey outside what I really look forward to is sitting down to a bowl of hearty beef barley stew. The rich, nutrient dense nature of a good stew can boost my spirits any day. A tip of my hat goes off to the cook that created mirepoix; a blend of carrots, celery and onion that makes up the base of a number of great soups and stews.

Soups have been around for a very long time. There is a good possibility that soups and stews first made their appearance shortly after we as a species discovered fire. The simplicity of boiling food as a preparation method offers the most inexperienced cooks a process that is nearly fool proof. The French are known to historically be masters in the kitchen, and they certainly left their mark on soups, stocks and stews with the credit for mirepoix. In the 1800’s French culinary texts started describing the method of cooking down a vegetable mixture for use in sauces, soups and stocks. While there were several variations, the one that stuck included carrots, onions and celery.

Vegetables are great, but the addition of proteins and starches significantly increase the heartiness of a good stew. Beef not only adds a chunky, filling protein source but additionally brings a new element of flavour to any dish. Most starches, as barley does in this instance, does not add much in terms of flavour. Starches do play a key role in this stew. Starch elements add another layer of bulk to this dish. They also tend to take on the flavour of whatever is around them, all the more reason to start with a good base. The barley and beef in our stew may be additions to the pot, but they work in tandem with the selected stock to create a sturdy backbone of flavour and texture to this dish.

Recipe

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter

½ cup diced carrots

½ cup diced onions

½ cup diced celery

1 Lb. stewing beef

1 Litre beef stock

¼ cup cooked pearl barley

½ Tbsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. worcesterchire sauce

½ Tbsp. salt

Directions:

• Brown stewing beef with butter in a large pot.
• Remove meat and cook vegetables over medium heat in remaining butter until onions are translucent. (see through)
• Add thyme, garlic powder, worcesterchire, salt, barley and cooked stewing beef.
• Cover and stir occasionally, cook for 30 min to 1 hr.
• Ladle and serve.

Whether you are looking for something healthy, something hearty or just some good home cooking, this beef barley stew will more than likely do the job. As with any dish, soups and stews have been refined over time to tame what used to be a mashup of random edibles into the works of art we see in soup bowls everywhere today.

 

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