Sunday, December 9, 2012

Beef + beer and barley


  • Season some flour and roll in it. Also, roll some chunks of braising beef in it.
  • Sear it on all sides in some hot olive oil. Remove. Using tongs will make you feel inexplicably proficient and professional. Do not secretly season and eat any of the beef at this stage. Even the small crispy yummy bits. Yum.
  • Add finely chopped carrots, parsley stalks, celery and dried herbs.
  • Get a mini chop on some mushrooms - they like it like that but are too shy to say.
  • Also, get a bay leaf in there and some garlic - I also used some roasted garlic from my previous soup :)
  • When the veggies start to sweat you'll be able to scrape up the good brown bits on the bottom of your pan.
  • When the vegetables have softened add some tomato purée and beef stock or water and a bottle of your favourite beer. Don't forget to put the beef back in.
  • I pressure cookered mine, but you can bring yours to a simmer then keep it plopping away for a few hours. Lid on to keep the moisture, lid off to reduce. Take your pick. Or go for something in between.
  • Twenty minutes from the end, season, add lots of black pepper, add another chopped carrot and a handful of barley.
  • Eat then hibernate.

What did it taste like? Like winter itself. But less snowy and more beefy.

Tips: Add in any other veggies you like towards the end. Something green might be nice. Break up the beef if you want it more soupy. Leave it in chunks if you want it more stewy. I suggest eating it the next day - I'm sure it will get even better.

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