Ingredients
Gather Your Ingredients
Rich Beef Broth For Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 pounds beef shank meat cut from bone in large chunks, or 4 pounds chuck and 2 pounds of small marrow bones
1 large onion, halved
½ cup dry red wine
½ teaspoon table salt
Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
2 medium carrots, cut into medium dice
12 ounces domestic mushrooms or wild mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and sliced thin
½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
½ cup canned tomatoes, cut into medium dice
½ cup pearl barley
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
Directions
1
1. FOR BROTH: Heat 1 tablepoon oil in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; brown meat, bones, and onion halves on all sides in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, and adding the additional teaspoon and a half of oil to the pan if necessary. Remove and set aside. Add red wine to the empty kettle; cook until reduced to a syrup, 1 to 2 minutes. Return browned bones, meat, and onion to kettle. Reduce heat to low, then cover and sweat meat and onions until they have released about 3/4 cup dark, very intensely flavored liquid, about 20 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add 2 quarts water and salt; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to very low, partially cover, and barely simmer until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
2
2. Strain broth, discard bones and onions, and set meat aside, reserving half of the meat for another use. (At this point broth and meat can be cooled to room temperature and covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.) Let broth stand until fat rises to the top; skim and discard fat. When the unreserved meat is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces. Reserve 2 cups shredded meat for soup.
3
3. FOR SOUP: Heat oil over medium-high heat in a soup kettle or Dutch oven. Add onion and carrots; sauté until almost soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté until softened and liquid almost evaporates, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Add thyme and tomatoes, then beef broth, meat, and barley; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low; simmer until barley is just tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, including salt and pepper to taste, and serve.