Beef and Barley Soup

(3-4 servings)

It's finally beginning to feel a little bit like fall in Dallas, at least in the evenings and early mornings..  perfect weather for soup!


2 tsp olive oil
1 lb beef shank
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, sliced
5 carrots
1 cup sherry
2 cups beef broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper
1/4 cup pearl barley
1 medium zucchini, cut up

Heat the oil in a soup pot and add the beef shank. Brown it on both sides, then turn down the heat.

Add the onion to the pot (around the meat, rather than over it) and gently simmer until the onion begins to soften and turns golden brown. Add the celery.

Slice one carrot, and finely chop the rest of the carrots if you like. I did this in the food processor after I processed the onion. Add those to the soup pot.

Pour in the sherry and beef broth. Stir in the tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer gently over low heat for 2-3 hours or until the meat begins to fall off the bone.

Add the pearl barley, cover and simmer for another 35-45 minutes or until the barley plumps up.

Remove the meat and shred it into small pieces, remove the marrow from the bone, and add the meat and marrow back into the soup pot. Add the zucchini and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the zucchini is done.

Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed and serve.