Pioneer Woman Beef Barley Soup Recipes

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Brown beef on all sides; drain. Stir in broth, water, barley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. , Add carrots, celery, onion and parsley; cover and simmer until meat and vegetables are tender, 30-40 minutes. Stir in peas; heat through.

Steps:

• Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides until well browned; this will take about 15 minutes. Set the meat aside and wipe the pan out with a paper towel. Lower the heat to medium, add the oil to the pan. Add the carrot, onion, and celery to the pan and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Return the meat to the pan with the water. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is just tender. Add the thyme, barley, and tomato, continue to simmer the soup, covered, for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and saute until golden, about 10 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste, and add them to the soup, and simmer for 15 minutes more. Remove the meat from the soup; cut the meat from the bone and dice. Skim any fat from the surface of the soup with a ladle or large spoon. Return the meat to the soup with the parsley. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in warm bowls.

Steps:

• Brown the beef in the pressure cooker over high heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off any fat. Add the tomatoes, broth and barley and return to high heat. Close the pressure cooker and bring to up to full pressure. Reduce the heat until the cooker barley hisses, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Release the pressure using the cooker's release device (read the manual), or cool the cooker by running cold water over the lid for 30 seconds. Open carefully, remove the lid and add the vegetables, herbs, salt and pepper.
• Put the lid back on the pressure cooker and heat to full pressure over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain pressure and cook another 10 minutes. Release the pressure as above. Remove the lid and cool for 5 minutes, and then serve with vinegar.
• Place the pressure cooker over high heat. Oil and salt the oxtail and shank pieces then sear in batches. Add the remaining ingredients and cover with water, being careful not to fill above the cookers "maximum fill" line. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that gathers at the surface. Cover and lock the lid. Once the pressure builds up inside the cooker, reduce the heat so that you barely hear hissing from the pot. Cook for 50 minutes.
• Release the pressure using your cooker's release device (read the manual), or cool the cooker by running cold water over the lid for 30 seconds. Carefully open the lid and strain , squeezing the solids before feeding to the compost pile or the dogs. Strain through a fine sieve or several layers of cheesecloth. Season and serve or use as a base for other soup recipes.

Steps:

• Combine the beef, barley, mushrooms, celery, carrots, leeks, thyme, beef broth and soy sauce in a slow cooker. Add 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook on low, undisturbed, 8 hours. Uncover and skim off any excess fat. Transfer the beef to a cutting board, let cool slightly and slice or shred by hand into bite-size pieces. Thin the vegetable-barley mixture in the slow cooker with some water, if desired. Divide among shallow bowls and top with the beef. Serve with horseradish, if desired.
• Photograph by Antonis Achilleos