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Beef and Farro Soup

Source of Recipe

From "The Secret Ingredient Cookbook" by Kelly Senyei


Recipe Introduction

"I have a confession: I despise beer. To this day, I have only ever taken a few sips of a cold one before turning to literally any other alcoholic beverage that's available. No matter how hard I've tried, beer and I are not buddies. So imagine my expression upon tasting my first *dark* beer, a frothy Guinness. It was sheer repulsion. But a funny thing happens when you cook with beer: it no longer tastes like beer. I use it to stew chuck roasts, herbs, and veggies for a truly satisfying beef and farro soup that's easy to gobble up by the bowlful."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
â—¦ ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more for seasoning
â—¦ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
â—¦ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
â—¦ 1 medium onion, diced
â—¦ 2 teaspoons minced garlic
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
â—¦ 2 bay leaves
â—¦ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 cups dark beer, such as Guinness
â—¦ 8 cups beef broth
â—¦ 1 ½ cups uncooked farro
â—¦ 3 cups chopped kale
â—¦ Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
â—¦ Chopped fresh Italian parsley, for serving


Recipe

Season the beef with the salt and pepper. In a large stockpot set over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add half the beef (to avoid crowding) and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a bowl. Repeat to brown the remaining beef. Leave all of the drippings in the stockpot.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the stockpot, then add the tomato paste, onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste begins to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the beer to deglaze, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the stockpot.

Return the beef to the stockpot, then add the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover the stockpot and simmer the soup for 1 hour.

Add the farro, cover the stockpot, and cook until the farro is tender, about 30 minutes. Add the kale and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, then taste and season the soup with salt and pepper.

Transfer the soup to bowls, garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings