Beef Barley Soup

Growing up at least once a week I had lunch at the Nordstorm Cafe with my Grandma. While we usually had their signature clam chowder, every fall beef barley soup would pop up on the menu. So when the Count mentioned beef barely soup sounded good to him a few weeks ago, it was a great opportunity for some nostalgic comfort food moment.

I used this recipe out off of Epicurious and I was really happy with it. I am not a huge fan of mushrooms but left them in for this recipe and was glad a did as they added a lot of depth and flavor complexity.

Add a piece of crusty bread and this soup will warm you up on even the coldest and rainiest day!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I saved and froze the wing tips from the buffalo chicken wings I served at Super Bowl with the intention of using them to make chicken stock.  I added them to a large pot (lobster pot size) of water and put the burner on low for 12 (yes, 12) hours.  After that I added a few pepper corns, two small onions quartered, two carrots quartered, and a bay leaf and let it go another hour. After that I strained it and I had a generous amount of stock that will serve as the base for 2-3 large pots of soup.  I put 2/3rds of the stock into Tupperware containers and stuck them in the freezer for future endeavors.

I had some chicken thighs that I baked for about 20 minutes in the oven after I coated them with a little olive oil and salt & pepper.  While those were cooking, I sliced up some carrots and celery and softened them for about 5 minutes in some olive oil.  I then added the chicken stock and brought it to a boil.  

Growing up my Grandma Vera serve us chicken soup with stars so when I found pasta stars in Italy, I brought a few boxes home with me.  I added a box of stars to the soup and let it cook for about 7 minutes.  After that I added salt and pepper and a bit of chopped parsley - this gave it a rustic, home made touch.

I served it with La Brea Bakery rolls and it was a great, healthy meal.  Count G told me it's the best chicken noodle soup he's ever had - he said the stars pushed it over the edge.