Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in beef shank or short ribs
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 4 celery ribs, diced
• 4 carrots, sliced into coins
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 10 cups beef broth
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups cut green beans
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Before you cook

• Pat the beef shanks dry and season them all over with the salt and pepper.
• Dice the onions, celery and potatoes and slice the carrots.
• Rinse the pearl barley in a sieve until the water runs clear.

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
2. Sear the beef shanks for 6 minutes per side, until a dark crust forms.
3. Move the shanks to a plate and lower the heat to medium.
4. Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook for 10 minutes, scraping the browned bits off the bottom.
5. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, until the paste darkens.
6. Pour in the red wine and scrape the pot bottom completely clean.
7. Boil the wine for 4 minutes to reduce it by half.
8. Return the shanks to the pot with the beef broth, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme and Worcestershire.
9. Bring the pot to a boil, then drop it to a slow simmer and skim the surface.
10. Simmer partly covered for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until the meat falls away from the bones.
11. Lift the shanks out and let them cool for 10 minutes on a cutting board.
12. Pull the meat off the bones, chop it coarsely, and push any marrow out of the bones into the pot.
13. Skim the fat from the surface of the broth with a wide spoon.
14. Add the barley and potatoes and simmer for 30 minutes, until the barley is plump and chewy.
15. Stir in the green beans and corn and cook for 8 minutes.
16. Return the chopped beef to the pot along with the frozen peas and heat through for 5 minutes.
17. Remove the bay leaves, taste for salt and pepper, and stir in the parsley.