Kosher Blog

Lamb & Barley Soup

When my bulk meat man delivered a 10-lb. pack of stew lamb, I knew it would be a great excuse to find (and then perfect) a good soup recipe. I reviewed my usual recipe sources for a good starting point, but nothing I found was what I had in mind — a simple, traditional recipe that highlighted the flavor of the lamb. I’ve made three batches so far, and the resulting recipe is nicely balanced and consistently reproducible.

It’s also great for making in bulk, freezing, and then serving as needed. For example, to serve for Shabbat, prepare the soup until just before adding the barley, then refrigerate or freeze. Before sunset on Friday, bring the soup back to a simmer, then add the barley. Let it simmer gently, on a warming tray or in a crock pot, until you serve. Either you’ll have nice, toothsome barley, or the barley will have broken down more and thickened the soup into a tasty stew.

A note on broth: It’s been my experience that canned kosher broths can be pretty salty, so if you’re using canned, water it down to get the six cups of liquid called for in the recipe (e.g. 4 cups broth, 2 cups water). I’ve done this with Tabatchnick beef broth, and it worked excellently.

LAMB & BARLEY SOUP
Makes 14 cups

2 lb. stew lamb, in bite sized pieces
3 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 large carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
OR 1 medium onion, diced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 large bay leaf
6 cups chicken or beef broth, preferably homemade (see note above)
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup pearled barley
kosher salt
pepper

Season lamb with pepper, then coat with flour.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in dutch oven. Brown lamb in two batches, sauteing each batch for six minutes.

Remove from pan and set aside. Appreciate all the great fond that’s developed in the pan.

Add vegetables and thyme to pot with a pinch of salt, cover, and cook until slightly softened, 5 minutes.

Return cooked lamb to pot, including drippings, then add broth, wine, and water (scraping up the browned bits while you’re at it). Bring to boil, then simmer 20 minutes. Add barley, cover and simmer another 40 minutes, until barley is just tender.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.