Guinness Beef Soup w/ Barley, Carrots and Mushrooms

Last night I was thinking about what was in the cabinet that needed to be used before we left and barley came to mind. I did not want to reproduce the Beef, Barley and Vegetable Soup that I made back in October, I wanted something a little richer than that. I put this recipe together pairing my favorite beer, Guinness with some beef.

Guinness Beef Soup w/ Barley, Carrots and Mushrooms

Heat a couple tablespoons olive oil, on medium-high heat in large stock pot. Mix 3 Tbsp. Flour with some salt and pepper in a bowl and toss with 1 lb. Stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks. Brown beef in batches, removing to paper towel lined plate, adding more oil if needed.
Add 1 tbsp. Olive oil to pan, then add 250g Chestnut mushrooms, quartered and 1 small Onion, diced, 2 tsp. Dry rosemary then sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until softened.(Make sure to scrape up brown bits on the pan bottom when the veggies release their juices.)
Add 1(230g) can Chopped Italian tomatoes, 1/2 liter beef stock and 440ml can Guinness. Return Beef to pot and add 2 Tbsp. Thyme leaves, chopped and 1 tsp. Italian seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add 100g Pearl barley and 2 large Carrots, cut into 1/2-inch discs and continue to simmer for another hour.

Byron - Manchester UK

 

Proper Hamburger, that’s what the neon lights proclaim above the windows of Byron, a Manchester UK burger joint. And proper they are. We arrived here for a late dinner after a show on Saturday night, in fact it was just about closing time when we were welcomed in. The place was bright and clean and had the feel of a large American diner. We were seated in a booth and the waiter promptly took our beer orders. Dan ordered the Byron Pale Ale, while I chose the Camden Gentlemen’s Wit. We both enjoyed them and they were served ice cold.

For dinner, Dan ordered the Cheese burger (7.95 pounds) served with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo. I went with the Chilli burger (8.95 pounds). It was served with green chillis, American cheese, shredded lettuce and chipotle mayo. Very spicy, very good and quite proper to say the least. The beef is Scottish and they cook them to medium, unless otherwise specified. We ordered a side of homemade skin-on chips, that were crispy and creamy (3.25 pounds) and onion rings that were very good (3.25 pounds). We were the last people in the place and they never tried to rush us out, in fact, our waiter came over and talked with us for a while. If you need a good burger and you happen to be in Manchester, this is the place to come.

They are located at 115 Deansgate, Manchester UK M32 M32   www.byronhamburgers.com

Beef, Barley and Vegetable Soup

From our balcony, we can see a shopping center that has a TK Maxx, yes TK here not TJ. Anyway , I needed a large saucepan/stockpot because the apartment did not have one, so I decided to walk on over there to find one. The walk turned out to be a bit longer than I thought and later I realized there was a TK Maxx a little closer and easier to get to, but I'm still learning. I did find my saucepan, plus a bunch of off price shops, so well worth the trek.
After dropping off my purchase, I walked up to Marks & Spencer, an English department store, to do a little grocery shopping. The grocery store located on their bottom floor is much larger than the local grocer and a little overwhelming. They had so many precooked meals, pre-chopped veg and packaged veg mixes that you could pretty much come up with any recipe. I decided to go with a beef and veggie soup. After spending about 15 minutes trying to choose vegetables, I came upon a package with carrots, an onion a leek and something I was unfamiliar with. I asked a couple of ladies if they knew what it was, they knew the flavor, but not the name. I bought it and thought it was worth a try. It ended up being a rutabaga and you prepare it pretty much like a potato. The flavor was like a sweet, mild radish, potato mash up. We both liked it! I also found this cute little Scottish Sweetheart cabbage that had a wonderful mild cabbage flavor. Here's the recipe I prepared. It's mostly in grams and such, because that how the food is packaged.

Beef, Barley and Vegetable Soup


2 Tbsp Olive Oil
450 grams beef casserole steak (stew meat)
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp Italian Seasonings
Salt & Pepper
1 onion, diced
1 leek, white and light green parts only, sliced
1/2 cup red wine
4 carrots, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1/2 rutabaga, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped cabbage
140 grams baby new potatoes
1 cup barley
500 grams beef stock
1 (400 gram) can of chopped Italian tomatoes and juice
1/4 cup water

Heat oil in stock pot or large sauce pan. Sprinkle meat with flour and seasonings and mix. Add to pan, in batches, brown and remove. Add onion and leek and sauté 5 minutes. Add wine to deglaze pot. Add the veggies, stock, canned tomatoes, barley and water, bring to boil cook 15 minutes. Reduce, cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper and about 1/2 teaspoon more of Italian seasonings. Serve.