Beef, Mushroom & Spelt Berry Soup

Whole spelt berries give this old-fashioned soup a pleasantly chewy bite and thicken the broth just enough as they simmer. It is sturdy, warming fare—exactly what a gray fall afternoon calls for.

Ingredients

Soup

• 180 g whole spelt berries, rinsed
• 900 g beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 8 g fine salt, divided
• ¾ tsp black pepper, divided
• 30 g olive oil, divided
• 340 g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 200 g yellow onion, diced
• 180 g carrots, diced
• 140 g celery, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 30 g tomato paste
• 1,700 g low-sodium beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 15 g Worcestershire sauce
• 15 g apple cider vinegar
• 15 g chopped parsley

Method

1. Pat beef dry and season with 5 g salt and ½ tsp pepper. Heat 20 g oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown beef in two or three batches, 3–4 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.
2. Add remaining oil and mushrooms. Cook without crowding until well browned, 6–8 minutes. Set aside with the beef.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
4. Add a splash of stock and scrape up the browned bits. Return beef and mushrooms, then add the remaining stock, spelt berries, bay leaves, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, remaining salt, and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, cover slightly ajar, and cook 90–120 minutes. Stir occasionally, until the beef and spelt berries are tender.
6. Remove bay leaves and thyme stems. Stir in cider vinegar and parsley. Taste and adjust salt and pepper; add a little water or stock if the soup has thickened more than desired.

Make it well

Cool promptly and refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. The spelt berries continue absorbing broth, so loosen leftovers with stock or water while reheating.

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