brisket and barley soup

Brisket

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Who says there’s no such thing as social climbing? Meet Brisket, a tough and chewy street urchin of beef, scoffed at by those who could afford a beautiful marbled porterhouse…that is, until the secret snuck out. Once the bougie types learned how flavorful a cheap cut of meat could be when slowly braised and then thinly sliced across the fibrous muscle, brisket was suddenly de rigueur among the posh set. Then, naturally, the law of supply-and-demand chimed in. No matter how many people are clamoring for a brisket, a cow only has two of them. Which means, suddenly it was no longer a cheap cut of meat. So, when I invest in and make a brisket, I don’t want to see a single slice wasted.

It was 2020. We were in quarantine. And Rosh Hashanah was fast approaching. I was craving my mother’s brisket, and that craving wasn’t going to quit until it was satisfied. And there were two of us at my holiday table…brisket for two. I spoke to the butcher at my local supermarket and had him put aside a 3 lb piece of flat brisket for me, to be picked up by the nice Instacart delivery person.

We had brisket for three nights, and by then my craving was quite satisfied. But there was still more. I couldn’t bear to waste it, so I froze it.

Barley

Barley, the lowly grain. Long thought of as peasant food in the west, it’s grown primarily for brewing beer and for feeding livestock.

But barley has an interesting history. We know that it’s one of the seven species that Israel in known for, as listed in the Torah, so it must have been around for a while.

In fact, archaeologist have discovered 23,000 year old barley in Israel.

I think that constitutes a while.

But why seven species? Certainly, there are a lot more fruits and grains that grow prolifically in that region.

We need to turn to the mystics to find the answer, to read the spaces between the letters, to gaze at the white fire upon which the black fire is inscribed.

Kabbalists teach that each of the seven species relates to one of the lower sefirot on the tree of life, through which divine attributes flow.

See my post on Challah as a Representation of Creation for more on this topic.

Dates

Olives

Pomegranates

Figs

Grapes

Barley

Wheat

Malchut

Yesod

Hod

Netzach

Tiferet

Gevurah

Chesed

Royalty

Foundation

Humility

Perseverance

Beauty, Harmony

Judgement, Severity

Mercy, Lovingkindness

Soup

The festival of Sukkot celebrates, among other things, the harvest. It’s a perfect time to include dishes that utilize the seven species.

One day I was fondly remembering my grandmother’s mushroom barley soup, which was sometimes vegetarian and other times included meat, when this idea just popped into my head—I’d make Grandma’s mushroom barley soup and add in the leftover brisket from the freezer! And, since I also have leftover carrots in the freezer from Rosh, I’ll add those in, too. Those carrots are particularly yummy because they’re made with a touch of honey, ginger, and orange. The result of these thoughts was this Brisket and Barley Soup for Sukkot….or whenever…

It’s definitely worth sharing.

You’ll see that I haven’t given you exact amounts for the brisket and carrots in the recipe. While you need to get the proportions right for the barley, stock, and flavorings, the idea here is to use up leftovers. Add as much as you have, or as much as you want to. It will be fabulous!

brisket and barley soup

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces dried mushrooms, any variety

• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, any kind, or a mixture, sliced

• 1 large onion, diced

• 3  celery stalks, sliced into ¼” pieces (I like to peel the stalks, but it’s not required)

• Oil for sautéing (you can use olive oil or a neutral fruit or nut oil, such as avocado)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

• lots of leftover carrots (I recommend Grandma Lee’s recipe). If you don’t have leftover carrots, grab a few raw carrots, peel them, and slice them into coins or batons.

• 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into batons

• 3/4 cup barley (I prefer the pearl variety, but hulled barley works, too.)

• lots of leftover brisket ( I recommend Marilyn’s Brisket recipe), in bite-sized pieces

• 2 tablespoons sherry

• a few sprigs of thyme

• 6 cups rich beef stock, or 6 cups water and 2 tablespoons beef stock concentrate

• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Place the dried mushrooms into a small bowl and add boiling water just to cover.

• Add a splash of olive or avocado oil to a soup pot and sauté the onions, fresh mushrooms, and celery together until the vegetables are tender.

• Then, add the garlic and sauté for a minute longer.

• Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot—the carrots, parsnips, brisket, barley, sherry, herbs, and stock, and bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat.

• Taste for salt (how much you need will depend upon the saltiness of your stock and personal preference) and give it a few grinds from the pepper mill.

• Lower the heat to keep it at a gentle simmer—you don’t want a hard boil—and cook the soup until the barley is tender (check the package your barley came in to get an idea of cooking time).

• Note: if you want a thicker soup, add more barley. If the soup gets too thick, add more stock. The soup will keep for several days in the fridge. It will probably need a dash of water or a little more stock upon re-heating.