Storm Soup

Todd's Table

Todd Goodyear is president and associate publisher of Downhome

Between Christmas Eve and January 16, 2020, 170 cm of snow fell on the Northeast Avalon. And then, we were walloped with 93 cm in Paradise on January 17 in that #Snowmageddon followed by another 18 cm for good measure a couple days later. Add in a week-long state of emergency and this January was quite the month to remember.

So what do you do when you are stuck inside, mostly, for days on end? First you clear the snow. Once you get your own driveway done, you go help the neighbours. On my cul de sac, the spirit of helping each other was very much alive and well. I met people for the first time from nearby streets, as we all came together and cleaned up the driveways and walkways while waiting for the plow to open the street.

Of course, all that work and comradery eventually turned into a gathering in the closest shed – the heat, the football game, a few tunes and an induction cooktop might have had something to do with it as well. What a time we had! Slow cooked rabbit in the shed with friends, old and new, after a full day of snow clean up is also something about this storm that will not soon be forgotten.

You know what else is really good on storm days? Soup. There is just something soothing about soup. It gets right down deep inside your gut and makes you feel warm all over, regardless of the weather. I made this pot of “storm soup” on the very day of the record breaking blizzard.

I love cooking beef barley soup. It’s a staple – very tasty, hearty and easy to make. I was out early the morning of the storm to buy batteries for flashlights, so I popped into a grocery store before they shut it down to grab a few things I needed for soup. They were all out of stewing beef, so I bought the cheapest roast they had and cut it in cubes myself. I also found a roast of moose in my freezer. It was vacuum sealed, so I just put it in a bowl in the sink and ran cold water continuously over it while I got everything else prepared.

Here’s what you will need for my storm soup (feel free to play with ingredients and seasonings to suit your taste).

Storm Soup

Ingredients

1 small piece of salt beef

1 – 1 1/2 lbs stewing beef (or a small roast, cubed)

1 small roast of moose

3 tbsp olive oil

1 med turnip

3 – 4 carrots

4 – 5 celery sticks (adjust for your taste)

2 medium to large onions

several garlic cloves, crushed and minced

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp steak spice

salt and pepper to taste (always coarse kosher salt and fresh ground pepper in my kitchen)

8 or so cups beef broth

1 lg can diced or stewed tomatoes

3/4 cup barley

Directions

Start by cutting the salt beef into really small pieces and slow boiling it in a small saucepan for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and set it aside; do not drain off that delicious salty water. This will help flavour your soup.

Peel and cube the turnip and carrots in a bowl with enough water to cover them. Chop the onion and celery, and set aside.

Cube up the moose and beef in 1 – 1 1/2-inch pieces and toss into a bowl with Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Season the meat with paprika, steak spice, salt and pepper, and half the garlic cloves. Make sure you toss the meat to cover it all over with the flavourings. Arrange meat on a cooking sheet and roast in a 425°F oven for 30 min. or until nice and browned. Remove from oven and set aside.

While the meat is roasting, heat up the soup pot and add the olive oil. A minute later, add the remaining garlic, and onion and celery. Cook for 10 minutes. Drain carrots and turnip, and add veggies to the pot. Cook and stir often on medium-high heat.

Take the meat out of the oven and add to the pot, with all the juices (this will add rich flavour). Add the salt meat and the water it was boiled in, and stir everything together. Add enough beef broth and water to cover at least a couple inches over the top of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then turn the pot back to low; cover and simmer.

After about 45 minutes, add the tomatoes and barley. Cook until vegetables and barley are tender.

I always bottle some soup while it’s hot and keep the leftovers in the fridge to get me through the week. It makes a great appetizer or a quick snack when you’re on the run.

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