Oxtail Barley Soup

Nothing is as satisfying as a bowl of rich and hearty oxtail and barley soup. For maximum flavor and texture development it takes a little patience, but is well worth it.

Step 1: The Braise

• About 10-15 pieces of oxtails seasoned with salt and pepper


• 1 can whole plum tomatoes, crushed with your hands


• 3 carrots, diced


• 3 ribs celery, diced


• 1 large Vidalia onion, diced


• 4 cloves garlic, crushed


• 1 bay leaf


• 1 cup red wine


• Beef broth to cover

Preheat a heavy pot (enameled cast iron with a lid preferred). Add a little olive oil. Sear the oxtails on all sides to a dark mahogany brown. Set aside. Add the tomatoes, carrot, onion, and celery and cook until they start to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Deglaze the pan with the red wine being sure to work loose the brown bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the bay leaf and the seared oxtails. Add enough beef stock to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a very low simmer for about an hour. Using a ladle, skim and discard the fat on the surface. The oxtails are done when the meat is falling off the bone.

Remove the oxtails with tongs or a slotted spoon. Set them aside to cool.

Step 2: The Soup

• 2 large Portobello mushrooms, diced


• 4 cloves garlic, crushed


• 1 Tbl oregano


• 2 Tbl parsley


• 1 C barley

Add the soup ingredients to the pot. Return to a boil, Cover and simmer until the barley is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Step 3: Finish

When the oxtails are cool, use your fingers to pull the meat off the bone. Try to avoid leaving large amounts of fat on the meat. I prefer leaving the meat in large chunks. Add to the soup. Check the seasoning for salt and pepper and skim any remaining fat from the surface.

Adjust the consistency with more beef stock to your liking.

Finish with ¼ cup of sherry and enjoy with a lot of crusty bread.

French Onion Soup

• 5 large onions, white or yellow


• 5 cloves garlic, chopper


• 1 cardamon pod


• ½ tsp toasted caraway seeds


• 8 juniper berries


• ¼ C balsamic vinegar


• 2 quarts beef stock


• 2 Tbl Kosher Salt


• Fresh ground black pepper


• Crusty bread slices that have been toasted (stale bread is ideal)


• "Good” stinky gruyere or fontina cheese

Caramelization is the key to flavor! The trick to making a good French onion soup is to slowly caramelize the onions until they are a deep mahogany brown.

Toast the caraway seeds in a dry sauté pan just until they release their oils and become fragrant. Cool to room temperature. Grind the caraway seeds with the cardamom pod and juniper berries. Use an electric grinder or mortar and pestle (as I do). Set aside.

Peel each onion, cut off the tops and bottoms, and cut in half. Slice each half onion into 1/8 inch slices. In a pre-heated heavy bottom pot, preferably cast iron enameled, on high heat add the sliced onions with a little olive oil. Keep stirring the onions with a wooden spoon. They will not start to brown until all of their liquid has been released and evaporated. Once they start to brown keep stirring more frequently and work loose the brown bits that thick to the bottom (the French call the brown bits “fond”). After some color has started on all of the onions deglaze the pot with the vinegar and about ½ cup of the stock. Really scrape the bottom of the pot to dissolve the “fond”. After the stock has evaporated add a touch more oil and repeat the caramelize/deglaze process until the onions are a rich deep brown. This process could take up to an hour but the results are worth the wait.

Add the garlic and spice mixture and stir for another minute. Add the remaining beef stock, and few twists of pepper and salt to taste. Simmer for about 45 minutes.

To finish and serve, ladle the soup into an oven proof bowl. Add a slice of the toasted bread and top with the cheese. Stick in the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Enjoy.