Recipe : Favorite Beef & Barley Soup
There may be nothing as wonderfully comforting and satiating as a hot bowl of soup on a cold day. Allow me to introduce you to this favorite recipe, first passed on to me from a beloved client at my studio many years ago during a bad head cold. This one comes from the grande dame herself, Ina Garten of the Barefoot Contessa.
Chinese Medicine includes beef as a beneficial food. It has a naturally warming nature, it’s flavor is sweet, and it strengthens the Spleen and Stomach. It also build the Blood and Qi, so it’s no coincidence that many women crave red meat at the time of their period, since on a physical level, we are losing Blood and Qi and need to replenish it. It also strengthens the sinews and bones and can also be used for general weakness, low backache, and weak knees.
Bone broths have been used for centuries as health tonics and are a delicious base for soups, but they are also a nutrient-rich and easily digested medicine for everyday health. A rich source of minerals that are often missing from modern diets, bone broths are used to support the digestive system, strengthen the kidneys, and build the blood and contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and other trace minerals, all in a form that is easy to digest and assimilate. They are used to strengthen the bones, support joints and tendons as the long cooking time breaks down cartilage and connective tissue releasing the very same compounds, chondroitin sulfates, and glucosamine, that are found in expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain. It’s also one of the best post-partum recovery tonics.
How can a simple broth achieve so much? One of the broth’s secrets is that it is a rich source of two amino acids, proline and glycine, both of which play a key role in the health of our connective tissue and are important to joint health, cellular metabolism, immune function, detoxification, and even weight regulation.
By Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa
1 tablespoon good olive oil
2 pounds beef oxtails
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
2 cups (1/2-inch) diced carrots (4 carrots)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup (1/2-inch) diced celery (2 stalks)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
3 bay leaves
10 cups beef bone broth (the original recipe uses canned broth)
1 cup pearled barley
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Add the oxtails, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until browned all over. Remove the oxtails with a slotted spoon and reserve.
Add the leeks, carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the fat in the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables start to brown. Tie the thyme sprigs together with kitchen string and add to the pot along with the bay leaves. Return the oxtails to the pot and add the broth, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Discard the thyme bundle and the bay leaves, and skim off the fat.
Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the barley. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, drain, and set aside.
When the soup is ready, add the barley and cook the soup for another 15 or 20 minutes, until the barley is tender. Depending on the saltiness of the stock, the soup might need another teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Serve hot, with or without the oxtails.