Hearty Beef and Barley Stew | Slimming Eats Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What to add to beef stew to make it amazing? ›

I almost always add some beef bouillon crystals to my stew, it helps oomph (yes, a technical term) the beefiness of the stock. Sometimes also use a few shots of worcestershire sauce or soy sauce - both will also add some oomph to the flavor.

The flour also helps protect the meat from the heat of the pan. Stick with wheat flour for this recipe. It acts as a thickener for the beef and barley soup while it is cooking. If you use any other kind of flour, your soup will end up watery.

Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.

The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.

I contacted Laurence to get the lowdown on why she adds tomato paste to her beef stew. "I include tomato paste in many braised recipes because it adds a depth of flavor without increasing the liquid quantity in the dish," Laurence explains.

For example, chuck is a lean and tender cut of beef that works well in stew. However, if you would prefer a thicker and more flavorful stew, short ribs or oxtail may be better choices for you. To make a delicious stew, choose good-quality ingredients.

There's no need to cook pearl barley before adding it to soup. This soup calls for almost 2 hours of cooking time which will give the barley plenty of time to soften.

As barley is a starch the best you can do is dilute it, or thin it out a bit. You may need to add a fair bit of broth and more of your vegetal ingredients. Possibly to the point of doubling your recipe. It will depend on when you find the taste and texture to have gotten back to acceptable levels.

Not browning the beef enough would be the first possible problem. That adds a lot of flavour to the finished stew. You can toss the beef in seasoned flour before browning it which will also help thicken the stew. Not adding enough seasoning would be the second potential issue.

Is it better to use beef broth or stock for stew? ›

Ideally, you'll use beef stock, but beef broth is fine too. Veal stock would be divine. Instant bouillon paste will add flavor and is perfectly acceptable. Indeed, even if all you have is chicken stock, it will still be better than water and won't make your beef stew taste like chicken soup.

"Creating that Maillard reaction, where you are caramelizing the proteins and natural sugars in your meat, is building flavor. That flavor will then slowly make its way into the braising liquid and create a depth of flavor you just can't achieve otherwise."

The choice becomes easier when you realize that simple baking soda can be an ideal meat tenderizer that helps to bring out all the aromas and flavors in every sizzling beef stew or charburger.

You use the wrong cut of meat for beef stew

Instead, you should look for a heartier, tougher cut of beef. You want meat that has a lot of collagen-rich connective tissue, which will break down over the low and slow cooking period, leading to chunks of beef that are unctuous, tender, and flavorful, not dry and tough.

DEFINITELY. Low and slow does wonders for the meat. Here's what longer cooking does to it… Each and every bit of Collagen & Connective tissues starts to break down, and becomes a rich tasty gelatin and water.

Beef tastes great when seasoned with oregano, rosemary, sage, garlic or a combination of these seasonings.

You can add many vegetables to your beef stew to balance out the meatiness of the dish. On top of the list, of course, are potatoes, carrots, and onions. But you can also toss mushrooms, winter squash, and cauliflower into stew recipes.

It's easy to forget to add some sort of wine, vinegar, or yes, even lemon juice, to brighten things up. Adding some fresh thyme in the last 30 minutes of cooking can help brighten things up as well. But a squeeze of lemon juice at the very end can do wonders.