Description
Ina Garten’s hearty beef vegetable soup brings comfort straight from her Barefoot Contessa kitchen. Savory beef, tender vegetables, and rich broth blend into a soul-warming meal perfect for chilly evenings, satisfying your deepest hunger with classic American home cooking.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein:
- 2 pounds (907 grams) beef oxtails
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 2 cups (300 grams) chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
- 2 cups (240 grams) diced carrots (4 carrots)
- 1 cup (150 grams) chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup (120 grams) diced celery (2 stalks)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Herbs, Seasonings, and Liquid:
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) high-quality olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 10 cups (2.4 liters) beef broth (unsalted or low sodium preferred)
- 1 cup (190 grams) pearled barley
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven with olive oil over medium-high temperature. Season the oxtails with ground black pepper and salt. Brown the meat thoroughly, rotating occasionally to ensure even caramelization, approximately 10 minutes. Transfer the browned oxtails to a separate plate using a slotted spoon.
- Utilize the same pot to sauté minced garlic, diced carrots, chopped onions, sliced celery, and julienned leeks. Cook the vegetables over medium heat, stirring periodically until they develop a golden, translucent appearance, roughly 8-10 minutes.
- Create a fragrant herb bundle by tying thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine. Add the herb bundle and bay leaves to the vegetable mixture. Carefully reintroduce the browned oxtails to the pot and pour in beef broth, ensuring the meat is mostly submerged.
- Elevate the liquid to a robust boil, then immediately reduce heat to low. Cover the pot and allow the stew to simmer gently, skimming any accumulated fat from the surface during cooking. After 60 minutes, discard the bay leaves and herb bundle.
- Simultaneously prepare the barley in a separate saucepan. Bring of water to a rolling boil. Add the barley and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the grains become tender but not mushy, approximately 30-35 minutes.
- Drain the cooked barley and fold it into the oxtail stew. Continue simmering for an additional 15-20 minutes to meld the flavors and ensure the barley reaches the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- For enhanced texture, carefully remove the oxtails, extract the meat from the bones, and shred it before returning to the pot. Ladle the steaming stew into deep bowls and serve immediately with crusty bread.
Notes
- Elevate flavor by thoroughly browning oxtails, creating a rich caramelized foundation that deepens the soup’s taste profile.
- Create easy herb removal by securely tying thyme sprigs with kitchen string, preventing loose leaves from floating in the final dish.
- Monitor oxtail tenderness carefully, adjusting cooking time based on meat size and ensuring a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Remove excess fat during simmering to maintain a clean, balanced flavor and lighter soup consistency.
- Select fresh, high-quality oxtails with good marbling for maximum flavor and optimal meat texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 300 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg