For some reason, perhaps because of a lingering perception that it does not work very well, perhaps because we do not eat a lot of beef in large chunks these days, we do not make beef soup very often, preferring pork or chicken as a base. Lamb being out of it altogether.
However, Sunday past we had brisket hot. Monday and Tuesday, brisket cold - and yesterday we were moved to make the stump - maybe four or five cubic inches of it - into beef soup.
Take what it left of the beef stock and skim the fat off it. Make it up to around three pints and add a beef stock cube, from Knorr as it happens. Add three ounces of pearl barley and simmer for half an hour. Put aside.
Prepare three sticks of celery and a dozen small potatoes. About 45 minutes before the off, add them to the stock and barley and bring back to the boil. Simmer.
Mash up a cup of left-over boiled potato with a dash of boiled carrot. These give the liquor a bit of body. Finely chop the left-over beef, into about 2mm cubes.
Prepare four large mushrooms. That is to say, chop the stalks and divide the cap into six or eight parts.
About 30 before the off, start to gently fry some onions, in segments like oranges, in a little butter.
About 20 minutes before the off, add the mash and beef to the soup. Continue to simmer.
About 10 minutes before the off, add the onions to the soup. Continue to simmer.
About 5 minutes before the off, add the mushrooms to the soup. Finish simmering and serve with a little brown bread.
Mostly done half an hour later, with the remnant done later in the afternoon, for the meal which we call tea, but which we do not take with tea. Preferring cold water at this time of day.
Carr's water biscuits, Lincolnshire Poacher and sweet red grapes for dessert.
All very satisfactory. Perhaps to be done again in the not too distant future.
PS: note the absence of red lentils on this occasion, from Ontario or otherwise, deemed to be of an inappropriate colour.
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