2-4 people30-60 minace blender

Beef and Barley Soup

By America's Test Kitchen

2-4 people

30-60 min

Easy

Recipe Details

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Total Time: 30-60 min

Cooking Technique: Ace Blender

Cuisine: American

Yield: 2-4 people

Ingredients

4 ounces cremini mushrooms
1 small onion
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp minced fresh thyme or
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups beef broth
1 carrot
1 tbsp soy sauce
8 oz top sirloin steak
1/4 cup quick-cooking barley
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

Why This Recipe Works This soup is hearty enough for dinner, so the idea of making it in the blender held great appeal. First, we focused on building a beefy broth without browning the beef in a skillet to create a fond that would infuse the soup with flavor when deglazed. Instead we turned to a potent combo of umami-packed mushrooms and tomato paste plus onion and garlic, which we bloomed in the microwave. Our base assembled, we simply added it to the blender along with beef broth, soy sauce (a test kitchen trick for adding beefy flavor), and chopped carrot for vegetal sweetness. We selected the chunky soup program because we knew we’d want to add thinly sliced beef after the preheating phase so it would cook through but not become pulverized. We used top sirloin because it is so lean and did not make the soup greasy. For the barley, a judicious ¼ cup of quick-cooking barley fit the bill and we added it along with the beef. Be sure to use quick-cooking (sometimes labeled “quick-cooking pearled”) or pre-steamed barley, which has been partially cooked during processing to reduce its cooking time.

Try this recipe using the Ace Plus Blender, click this link

INSTRUCTIONS

Microwave mushrooms, onion, tomato paste, oil, garlic, thyme, and pepper in bowl, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to Ace blender along with broth, carrot, and soy sauce. Lock lid in place, then select Soup Program 1 (for chunky soups).
Pause program once preheating ends (countdown timer will display 20 minutes). Carefully remove lid and stir in steak and barley. Return lid and resume program. Once program has completed, season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle individual portions with parsley and serve.

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About the chef

America's Test Kitchen

America's Test Kitchen publishes award-winning cookbooks along with Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines and produces public television's top-rated shows, America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country. It is a very real 15,000-square-foot kitchen located in Boston's Seaport district and is home to more than 60 test cooks, editors, and tasting and testing experts.

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