Beef, Barley & Vegetable Stew
ultra cozy and makes a ton for leftovers
The weather here on the east coast is going to be wild this weekend. Highs like 75, 76 here and here I am making beef stew. But when you’re craving something, sometimes only that thing will do.
Beef, Barley & Vegetable Stew
I love any braised meat. If it’s falling apart and in a rich sauce, it’s for me. The beef in this stew is exactly that: totally falling off the bone, super tender and hanging out with soft veggies, plump barley and a deeply umami sauce. It’s a whole balanced meal in a bowl: Meat, Veggies & Grains. That leads me to the best meat to use. Stew meat is the most economical, sure. But I always find it a bit dry. I prefer either beef shanks or short ribs. Both can be a bit pricey, but the flavor is so much better. I love the way the marrow falls out of the shank and into the soup, it melts into the sauce giving it extra meaty flavor. The bones also lend their flavor to the sauce as they simmer.
The recipe for the stew is at the bottom of this email and visible to paid subscribers. This takes about 3 hours in total to complete but most of the time is hands off. So it’s the perfect recipe for a weekend or if you’re work from home and can tend a little bit to it between meetings. I highly recommend you make this the morning of or even the day before. The flavor deepens significantly if you let it sit for a while either in the refrigerator or just on the stovetop. You can use the oven or the stove to reheat the stew. Here’s a Reel on my Instagram to see it in action.
What I’m Loving This Week:
THIS Rolling Pin: I used to love my OXO rolling pin. It was bulky and a bit ugly but was a great weight and very ergonomic. But it got left at a studio somewhere and is now gone. I realized this one morning when I needed to roll out cookies for daycare. So I borrowed my neighbor’s rolling pin. And I really loved it. So much so that I ordered myself one and it arrived yesterday. It just feels great in the hand and is the perfect length.
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides: I finished this book last week. It was a really fun read. A page turner but still well written. But not too well written that it’s over my head. You know that balance? That’s my favorite kind of book. I simultaneously didn’t want it to end but I was voraciously reading the last 20 pages to find out who done it.
Makes 8 servings
Cook time: 3 hours
This is great when made the day or morning before. The flavor gets even deeper as it sits.
2 ½ pounds beef shanks, short ribs or chuck stew meat