Beef and Barley Soup

1. Prepare mushrooms and onions

In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it’s just smoking. Add the quartered white mushrooms and chopped onion, cooking and stirring often for 8 to 12 minutes until the mushrooms are well browned, and the onions are softened.

2. Cook ground beef and tomato paste

Add the ground beef to the pot, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook for about 3 minutes until no longer pink. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds.

3. Deglaze with red wine

Pour in ¼ cup of red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes until the wine has mostly evaporated.

4. Prepare stock

Add the water, chopped carrot, chopped celery rib, soy sauce, salt, and 2 bay leaves to the pot. Bring this mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 1.5 hours. After simmering, strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer and let it settle for a few minutes. Remove any fat that rises to the top.

5. Prepare and brown sirloin steak tips

Pat the sirloin steak tips dry and season them with salt and pepper. In the Dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the steak tips and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until browned all over, then transfer to a plate. Repeat with another 2 teaspoons of oil and the remaining steak tips.

6. Cook cremini mushrooms and onion

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the pot and heat over medium-high heat. Cook the sliced cremini mushrooms and chopped onion for 7 to 10 minutes until they are browned and softened. Stir in the minced garlic and thyme, cooking for 30 seconds until fragrant.

7. Add flour and deglaze

Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat the vegetables. Whisk in the remaining ¼ cup of wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook for about 1 minute until the wine has mostly evaporated.

8. Combine stock and soup ingredients

Stir in the reserved beef stock, drained tomatoes, chopped carrots, celery, pearl barley, 2 bay leaves, and the browned steak tips. Bring the soup to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the barley is tender.

9. Finish and serve

Remove the pot from the heat, discard the bay leaves, and stir in the minced parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.