Hearty Beef Barley Soup

It is still very cold in these parts, and snowed again a little bit yesterday.  When it's cold outside I hibernate inside where it's warm and cozy.  So on that note, it was a great day to make a pot of soup and I got to work in my kitchen.  My kitchen is my favorite place to be, it's my fun, creative play space! 

I had all of the ingredients for my soup in my pantry, I keep everything stocked up at home.  There is one thing that bothers me most when I'm cooking, if I need an ingredient, I don't have it, and I have to stop what I'm doing and run to the store and get it.  Puts a damper on cooking.

I do have to say my soup did turn out fabulous! I served it up with a crusty sourdough bread. The hubby was in love all over again and enjoyed every last spoonful of my tasty winter meal.

Recipe Below.

A few simple ingredients for a wonderful hearty soup.

I dusted my beef with a little flour to thicken the soup a bit.

Brown the meat in olive oil.

Looking good.

Beef broth in along with my veggies.

Thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper gives a special flavor to my soup.

Medium grain barley. 

No pre-cook on the barley, just drop it in the soup and let it cook in there.

And there it is, the tastiest bowl of winter soup I have had in a long time.  It's filling, warms you and the belly and is also good for you, what more could you ask for.  ENJOY!

Hearty Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 lbs beef cubes, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 32 oz. containers beef broth, can also use stock, I use low salt

2 large carrots, diced

2 large stalks celery, diced

1/2 large onion, diced

1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained, can use fresh if you like

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons thyme

3 large bay leaves

2/3 cup barley

Instructions

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large Dutch oven.  In a resealable bag add the beef, flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Shake the bag until all the meat is coated.  Add meat to the heated oil in the Dutch oven.  Brown the meat until all sides are seared.  Add the beef broth, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, garlic, thyme and bay leaves.  Cover and simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Stir in the barley and cook for another 30 minutes until the barley is tender.  Serve with a crusty bread. 

 

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, I love Tomatoes! Pappa al Pomodoro Soup

Tomatoes are one of my most loved fruits, yes a fruit, not a vegetable according to botanists.  Either way a fruit or veggie I'll take them, any way they are served I love them.  They are loaded with lycopene a powerful antioxidant, a decent amount of vitamin C and Potassium, Folate and Vitamin K, all so very good for you.  

My favorite tomatoes are Campari, they are smaller than a regular tomato but larger than a cherry tomato and they taste like a Summer tomato all year long.  Plums are my second favorite, they are very meaty and not too juicy so great in sandwiches.

Today I made tasty and hearty Pappa al Pomodoro soup with regular slicing tomatoes.  This soup is thick and full of flavor, and you won't be hungry after eating it because it is so thick. It is a simple food, most ingredients you will have in your pantry.  Considered peasant food back in the day, it is has now earned culinary kudos from renowned chefs all over the world.

These are the ingredients I used in my Pappa al Pomodoro soup. Olive Oil, garlic, onion, fresh tomatoes, I also used a can of petite diced tomatoes for more color, winter tomatoes are not as brightly colored as summer tomatoes.  You could certainly use all canned if you like.  I thought I would try it with fresh ones.  Now, back to the ingredients, crushed red pepper, fennel seed, salt and pepper, fresh basil, tomato paste (in tube) its easier than wasting a 6 oz. can, and garlic paste in the tube for more added flavor. The tubes are great, worth investing in them to have on hand when you only need a teaspoon or tablespoon of paste or garlic, and last, one small loaf of Italian/French bread, a crusty bread a day or two old, even better.

Peel the skins off the tomatoes, slice and scoop out the seeds, only the seeds not the meat of the tomato.

 I would do this over the sink, it can get messy,

Chop them up.

A little crushed red pepper for some heat and crushed fennel for flavor, love the smell of fennel. I used a mortar and pestle to crush the seeds.

Yes, I used a can!  You can use all canned tomatoes if you like.  Garlic and onion cooking up, they smell amazing together!

Ohhhhhh baby, looky here! And that fresh basil, what can I say, I could lay in a room full of that fragrance.

Cubed loaf of bread, reserve a  little to make croutons for the top of your soup.

The bread is added and mashed with a potato masher, it helps to cook it down.

WOW, coming together nicely!

My reserved bread for croutons.

A little olive oil on the baking sheet.

Toss in the cubed bread, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, when cooled, toss with a little parmesan cheese.

Piping hot! It's so good topped with more cheese, the homemade croutons and fresh basil. Delizioso!

Pappa al Pomodoro Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small sweet onion, diced small

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of Amore Garlic Paste in tube

1/4 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper (more if you like heat)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds. crushed

4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or you can use 3- 14.5 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes with juice)

1 14.5 oz. canned regular Petite diced tomatoes with juice

1 1/2 tablespoons of Amore Tomato Paste in tube (or use canned)

2 tablespoons sugar (more if you like it sweeter, taste first)

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 1/2 cups of water

6 large basil leaves, sliced

1 loaf of crusty Italian/French bread, cubed (big enough for 6 -7 cups of bread cubes, reserve 1 cup for croutons)

Parmesan cheese and more fresh sliced basil for serving

Directions

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until just transparent.  Add the garlic, garlic paste, crushed red pepper and fennel seed.  Cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes until all is fragrant, but be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add all the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper.  Let tomatoes cook down, about

10 -15 minutes.  Taste and adjust your seasonings to your liking.

Stir in the bread cubes, don't forget to reserve about 1 cup for your croutons.  Add the 4 1/2 cups of water and the basil.  Bring the pot to a simmer, stir and mash the bread with a potato masher until the soup is really thick.  Add more salt, pepper and basil if you like.

Serve piping hot topped with parmesan cheese, your croutons and fresh sliced basil.  Enjoy!

Note: If using all canned tomatoes just use the 3-14.5 oz. cans of petite diced tomatoes, do not add the other one for use with fresh tomatoes. So a total of 3 cans only.

 

MINESTRA - Italian Greens and Beans Soup

Talk about an old fashion Italian soup, well this one is it!  It's hearty, a "sticks to your ribs" kind of soup, a few easy ingredients, some fresh and some canned, and it doesn't take long to make, about half hour. It's a good one if you have to make it when you come home from work.  I had everything on hand but the escarole so I got that the day before I was going to make my soup. Escarole is from the chicory family and has a bit of a bitter taste unless it's cooked.  I also like it in a salad mixed with other greens and  vegetables.  Check it out in your grocery store, if you can't find it or just don't like it you can substitute spinach or arugula. This could also be made vegan/vegetarian by switching out the chicken stock for vegetable stock and omitting the pancetta. ENJOY!

Recipe below.

Simple ingredients for a delicious soup.

Saute onion, garlic and pancetta in olive oil.

Chop up the escarole.

Add to the pan, let it cook down.

Add the cannellini beans

Let it all come together so it tastes really great!

Getting piping hot.

All done and topped with parmesan cheese.  What better way to eat an Italian soup but topping it with cheese!

MINESTRA- Italian Greens and Beans Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

5 cloves of minced garlic, could also use jarred minced garlic

1/2 cup pancetta, chopped

1 large head escarole, cleaned, washed and chopped

2- 14-15 oz cans cannellini beans, do not drain

32 oz. container of chicken stock, I used unsalted

Dash of nutmeg, more if you like, I used fresh ground

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh grated Parmesan or Locatelli cheese

Loaf of crusty warm Italian bread

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Saute the onion, garlic and pancetta stirring while cooking, until the onions are transparent and pancetta is cooked, be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the chopped escarole and cook it down until it is wilted.  Add the beans, stock, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Cook for 10-15 minutes.  Serve piping hot with grated cheese on top and warm crusty bread.

 

Oui, Oui! French Onion Soup

There is just something about a nice hot bowl of soup that warms my soul.  Any kind of soup, I love almost all of them - Vegetable, Tomato, Chicken Noodle, Mushroom, Minestrone, Italian Wedding and French Onion, I could go on, but to name just a few.  Most people eat soup in winter, well I'm an all year round soup girl.  Homemade always tastes better to me and I make a lot of it.  Here is my take on homemade French Onion Soup.

Recipe Below.

 Just a few ingredients that's all it takes.

 And everything is better with butter.

 I used three very large sweet onions.

 Minced garlic and sliced onions.

 Into the pan they go!

 Break up the onions.

 Add herbs....

 Cook them down....

 a little Sherry doesn't hurt....

 It's lookin' good....

 The aroma is amazing!

 A little flour to thicken.

Add the beef stock.

Simmering with all that good flavor.

Wow, it looks so good!

Almost ready....

I did use an immersion blender for some of the onions.  Took out about 3/4 of them and used the blender on what was left in the pan and then put the rest of the onions back in.

And here it is, yummy homemade onion soup.  Toast a few baguette slices and top with cheese, put under the broiler for a few minutes until cheese melts.  Please use an ovenproof crock or bowl.

HOMEMADE  FRENCH  ONION  SOUP

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

3 very large sweet onions, sliced (mine were huge)

4 big cloves of garlic, minced

4 bay leaves

6 sprigs fresh thyme (you can use 1 tsp dried)

2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper

1 1/4 cups Sherry or 1 cup red wine (not cooking sherry/wine)

3 heaping Tbsp. flour

3 quarts beef stock

Baguette slices, toasted

Sliced Baby Swiss cheese (or Mozzarella or Parmesan)

Directions

Over medium heat in a large dutch oven, melt stick of butter.  Add - onions and break them apart, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper. Cook until they are soft and somewhat caramelized, about 25 minutes.  Turn off heat (to be safe) and add the sherry/wine, turn heat back on and bring the pot to a boil.  Reduce heat until the sherry/wine has evaporated and the onions are on the dry side, not so much liquid left in the pan, around 10-15 minutes.  Take out the bay leaves, and if using fresh thyme, strip the leaves from the stems and discard the stems. Put thyme leaves in the pan. Sprinkle the 3 Tbsp. flour over the onions, mixing in as you sprinkle to coat the onions.  Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn in the pan.  Add all the stock, bring the pan back to a slow boil and cook for about half hour. Season with salt and pepper if you like.

When ready to eat, start the broiler.  Ladle soup into oven proof ramekins or bowls, arrange baguette slices over the soup and top with cheese.  Place under the broiler until cheese is melted and browned. Serve immediately.