This old-fashioned warming soup truly feeds both body and soul. Traditional lamb shank & barley soup is simple, yet full of wholesome goodness. It’s easy to make both in a slow cooker and on the stove; essentially, this is a meal that you prepare in the morning, let it cook, and it’ll be amazing by dinner time. This soup freezes well, so don’t be shy to make a double batch and keep some for later….you’ll be glad of it on a rainy day!
To get the best out of lamb shanks, they do require lengthy cooking. Despite this, they’re easy to work with: once they’ve been browned, making a soup based around them is little more than throwing a few ingredients into a pot then waiting. You can add more herbs or garlic if you like; like most soups, there’s a fair degree of versatility with this one. If you’re not familiar with barley, it’s an ancient cereal grain whose chewy texture & nutty flavour makes a nice change from rice or pasta. Barley needs to be rinsed prior to cooking to remove any dust, dirt or debris.
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Here’s How To Make It
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Start by heating the oil in a large soup pot, then brown your meat over moderate heat. In this example I used boneless shank meat, so I browned it for about 10 minutes. If you’re using bone-in shanks the meat will be thicker, so you’ll need to brown them for longer.
Next, add the onion and continue browning. Cook for 5 minutes or so, then add the carrot and celery. Stir continuously, and keep frying this mixture for another 10 minutes.
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Add the stock and bring to the boil. Stir before covering. You can use any kind of stock you like: here I’ve chosen a simple beef stock powder mixed with water. Upon boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours, stirring regularly. Once the meat comes apart with a fork and the sinewy fat has completely softened, it is time to add the rinsed barley. Cook the soup for a further 45 minutes. During this time, the liquid will reduce and the soup will thicken. The barley is cooked when it looks like it has split open.
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Traditional Lamb Shank & Barley Soup
Equipment
- 1 large soup pot
- 1 Knife
- 1 chopping board
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots
- 3 stalks celery
- 2 tbsp oil
- 500 grams lamb shanks
- 2 onions
- 3/4 cup pearl barley rinse well before use
- 5 tsp beef stock powder + 2 litres water or 2 litres of liquid beef stock
- salt & pepper to taste optional
Instructions
- Over moderate heat, warm the oil in the large soup pot.
- Gently brown the meat. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't catch or burn.
- Meanwhile, chop the onion, celery and carrot.
- When the meat has nearly browned enough, add the onion and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Stir continually.
- Add the celery and carrot and continue stirring.
- Add the stock powder and water and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 3 hours.
- Add the rinsed barley and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
- Season to taste and serve.