This woman knew how to cook for all occasions; her soups and stews were legendary, always a highlight and have stuck with me for all my life. But, admittedly, they weren't always the leanest form of food, given that the late 60's and early to mid-70's was still an era where foods rich in fat were a synonym for 'hearty & healthy'...
" Makes you grow up big and strong, young man! ", I have heard her say many times, followed by an affectionate tousling of my hair. I can still see her..., in front of her stove, wearing her apron, swinging her wooden spoons and cooking up a storm. God bless her soul.
But I digress...
If a soup or stew back then didn't have little globules of fat floating on top it was considered not a 'real' soup/stew. And it may have been a 'weak' one, too. Either way, this one here will be on the leaner side but just as hearty and healthy. Or maybe just 'weak' and 'unreal'...who knows.
A couple of words on the ingredients used in this soup, though. This soup, when cooked right, meaning no overcooked, mushy veggies, dry & leathery meat, etc, provides an huge amount of nutrients for the human body.
Barley is a grain that contains eight different amino acids, essential for the human body. Leeks, which belong into the same family as garlic and onions, provide several nutritional benefits, such as protection of our blood vessel due a flavonoid called kaempferol. Celery provides a good amount of fiber and is rich in Calcium. Not to mention the carrots, garlic and onions.
Anyway, here are our complete ingredients:
1 Beef Shank Cross Cut, about one pound
1 Turkey Kielbasa, cut into slices
1 Bag of Pearl barley
5 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and roughly diced
4 Carrots, peeled, halved and sliced
4 Celery stalks, rinsed and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
2 Leeks, ends cut off, sliced and rinsed clean
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
1 can of sweet peas, drained
2 quarts of low-sodium beef stock
1 bunch Italian parsley
...and the small stuff that didn't make it into the picture above:
2 Bay leaves
1 Tbsp of white pepper
3 Tbsp of Smart Balance oil- or any other heart-healthy oil
coarse sea salt to taste
Before we start prepping the veggies, I'd like to stretch the importance of rinsing the barley. Barley releases a lot of starch which can have an unpleasant effect on the soup...it can make the soup slimy and look like jelly when cold. It's not very appetizing and certainly not something we want. So here's what we got to do in order to prevent the jelling and getting rid of the slimy stuff...
We need a sauce pot, one and a half quarts of water and a generous pinch of sea salt. Salt the water, add the bag of Barley and bring it to a boil. Let it boil over medium-high heat for five minutes then turn of the heat. Now we let the Barley just sit, soak and swell. Literally.
Let the Barley stew in its own juices for 60 minutes.
After one hour you will notice that the Barley has expanded and almost tripled in size. Pour it into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it under cold water, until the water becomes clear. Set aside and let cool.
Let's move on to the veggies. First off, whatever you do...DO NOT throw away any of the vegetables' peels, skins, roots, ends or any other part. Place them in a food-safe bag and into the fridge they go. We'll use the leftovers to make some homemade vegetable broth in my next blog entry!
Okay, with that said let's move to the veggie prepping.
We'll start by cutting off the dark green 'heads' and white roots from the leeks, peel the onion and finely dice it, peel the carrots, half them lengthwise and cut them into crescents, peel the potatoes, dice them and place them in a container with cold water, smash the garlic, peel it and quarter it, rinse the celery clean and cut it into crescents also, cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then into slices and place them in a strainer ready to be washed.
Once all that's done...hopefully without crying from cutting the onion and the leeks...we'll grab the meat and with a sharp knife separate it from the bone. Don't throw the bone away, though! It'll be used during cooking. Trim the meat from excessive fat and those tough silver skins and cut it up into bite-size chunks. Set the veggies aside for now...
Using a large pot, one that can hold at least four quarts of liquid, heat three Tbsp of oil and once it's shimmering add the meat, including the bone, and garlic to it and brown it on all sides, about five minutes. Make sure you flip the bone over a few times. You'll notice that the bone marrow will develop a jelly-like consistency. That's a good thing because the bone marrow adds tons of flavor to the soup. However, not everybody is a fan of bone marrow - although it has significant health benefits - and if it's not your cup of tea, simply remove the bone and scoop out the bone marrow with a spoon before returning the bone to the meat.
If you like the bone marrow, spoon it out and return it to the pot. It will disperse evenly throughout and although it contains a fairly large amount of fat, none of it is Trans-fat and once the soup cools down, you can skim excessive fat off of the surface, making the soup instantly leaner without losing the flavor of the bone marrow.
Add all the veggies, the bay leaves, the white pepper and a handful of chopped parsley to the meat and sweat it for about five minutes. Add the broth and bring to simmer...but not boil. A light simmer will work wonders. Simmer everything for about 45-60 minutes or until the veggies have become tender.
Now it's a good time to add the sliced Kielbasa and turn the heat to low. What you want is the smoky flavor to seep into the soup. Add the cooled and rinsed Barley to it. Bring the entire soup to a light boil and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. Do not let the Barley become mushy, though! It should have a somewhat firm bite to it.
Taste frequently and adjust the soup to your taste with salt and pepper. But,...in my Great-Grandma's true fashion...her secret weapon to push any soup or stew over the edge was to use a good splash of Maggi Seasoning.
A word of caution, though: Too much of it and it can ruin any dish in a heartbeat, so go easy and taste after every Tsp you add. If used right it's phenomenal. The soup is a great lunch when made the night before and is even more flavorful the next day.
Yep, that's what it was...good memories and times spent with my Great-Granny in her kitchen. When serving, don't forget to sprinkle a little parsley over the top of the soup. A rustic slice of bread goes great with it.
Happy New Year!