Name: Italian beef and barley soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 135 min
Total time: 145 min
Yield: 4-6
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 600g beef chuck steak, diced into 1cm pieces; 2 brown onions, thinly sliced; 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; ¼ cup tomato paste; 1 Tbsp roughly chopped rosemary leaves; 1L salt-reduced beef stock; 1L water; 2 carrots, cut into 1cm dice; 2 parsnips, cut into 1cm dice; 2 sticks celery, thinly sliced; 400g can diced tomatoes; ¼ cup pearl barley; Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season; Finely grated parmesan, to serve; Micro parsley leaves, to garnish; Edible pastry spoons, to serve (see recipe, below)

Italian beef and barley soup

Serve with a pastry spoon for a big surprise!

Serves 4-6

Prep

10M

Cook

2H 15M

Total

2H 25M

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Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

600g beef chuck steak, diced into 1cm pieces

2 brown onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

¼ cup tomato paste

1 Tbsp roughly chopped rosemary leaves

1L salt-reduced beef stock

1L water

2 carrots, cut into 1cm dice

2 parsnips, cut into 1cm dice

2 sticks celery, thinly sliced

400g can diced tomatoes

¼ cup pearl barley

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

Finely grated parmesan, to serve

Micro parsley leaves, to garnish

Edible pastry spoons, to serve (see recipe, below)

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C fan-forced (200 degrees conventional). Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large ovenproof saucepan over medium heat. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until browned all over, but not cooked through. Remove beef from pan and set aside in a bowl.

Heat remaining oil in the same unwashed pan. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Mix in tomato paste and rosemary, pour in stock and water. Bring to boil. Return beef to pan with carrot, parsnip and celery.

Stir in tomatoes and barley. Cover pan with a lid and cook for 2 hours or until beef is very tender. Season and serve topped with parmesan and parsley, with pastry spoons on the side.