Chilly weather perfection...
Dearly Beloved has been looking forward to some hearty beef barley soup. Trouble is, I couldn’t find the barley, and the beef is now incredibly expensive. I wondered if there is such a thing in a can. There is. Of course I read the labels! I’ve even provided a couple of the ingredient lists for you to read.
Sometimes it’s tough to make sense of these ingredients, never found in a home kitchen, created by food scientists in their well-stocked labs.
So this week we’re finding out if the veggies in my home fridge can be as tasty as their commercial competition, and how much effort I need to produce my version of Bob’s longed-for soup.
Convenience version: Mitchell’s beef-barley soup
Ingredients: Beans (navy, adzuki, mung), Barley, Soup base (salt, corn syrup solids, dextrose, wheat flour, sugar, canola oil, corn starch, onion powder, beef extract, guar gum, spices, herbs, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, natural flavours, turmeric, caramel), Red lentils, Dried vegetables (carrot, potato, onion, green pepper, red pepper, leek), Onion, Garlic, Herbs, Spices (mustard).
May Contain: Tree nuts, Peanuts, Soy, Eggs, Milk, Sesame, Oats, Sulphites.
Couple of interesting chemicals here. Always read the labels.
By the way…where’s the beef?
Progresso Beef-Barley Soup
Ingredients: Water, Beef Broth, Cooked Diced Seasoned Beef and Modified Food starch Product (beef, beef broth, hydrolyzed soy protein, modified food starch, salt, sodium phosphate, natural flavor, maltodextrin), Carrots, Barley, Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Celery. Contains less than 1% of: Dried Peas, Modified Food Starch, Corn Protein (hydrolyzed), Sugar, Salt, Soybean Oil, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavor, Caramel Color, Potato Starch, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Spice, Maltodextrin, Beef Fat, Beef Extract, Calcium Chloride, Citric Acid.
Questions?
What is beef extract?
It’s extracted by the test tube folks from porcine pancreas, bovine heart. Very tasty.
Hydrolysis means scientifically breaking the substance down into tiny pieces with water. No, You can’t do this in your kitchen.
How much salt should you have in a day?
Less than 800 mg.
Less than 800 mg.
Canned soup is a processed food that owes part of its extra long shelf life to lots of added sodium. One cup of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup packs an amazing 960 milligrams. As with other prepared foods, try to find low-sodium options. When you make your own soup it has only the amount of saltiness that you choose to put in the broth.
My Beef Barley Soup
These are the fridge clearing ingredients today! You want to use whatever veggies you have in your fridge. This was my collection.
Image via VickiW
To the vegetables I added some prepared garlic, some barley,
and the remains of a bottle of strained tomatoes. You can feel okay about using some ready prepped ingredients. Just read the labels
and the remains of a bottle of strained tomatoes. You can feel okay about using some ready prepped ingredients. Just read the labels
The beef was an unusual bargain, so that was appreciated. It was ready cut, and four packs at $5 each. Bought two chicken and two beef. One teaspoon coarse salt, and a liberal amount of fresh ground pepper.
Image via VickiW
I used my trusty pressure cooker for this soup. Took me 10 minutes to prep everything, ready for the pot.
Final step–I added the barley on top, then mixed the whole thing up. Added the water mixed with the broth cube, about five cups. Sneakily added a big dash of Worcester sauce for its wonderful umami flavour.
You can use an ordinary pot, or a slow cooker, or like I did, use my beloved pressure cooker.
This was the moment of truth, and delicious aroma, not to mention taste!
You can always adjust the soup with more water if it is too thick, and add salt and other flavourings from your pantry.
Image via VickiW
But, this isn’t the end of the story.
Those fridge leftovers have given us 8 good meals. Bob enjoyed a second-to-last cheese scone with our dinner tonight, zapped for 20 seconds in the microwave. One left for tomorrow. This is really fast food.
These containers are frozen for the future.
Image via VickiW
Talk about convenient food. Reheating is easier and faster than bought soup. And we don’t need any chemical processes to give us flavour.
A view from the balcony...
Image via VickiW
Just a peaceful duck couple today. There are many of them in the little creek just a stone’s throw from the balcony.
The trees are losing their autumn coloured leaves. All too soon they will be bare again.
