This well-known soup, especially popular around St. Patrick’s Day, is a great way to use leftover corned beef. Rice or bulger wheat can be used in place of barley or left out completely for low-carb diets. This hearty, flavorful soup is commonly believed to be an Irish dish. While corned beef was produced in Ireland in previous centuries, it was largely unaffordable to most of the population and therefore not part of their regular diet. Irish immigrants in the United States encountered corned beef at Jewish delis and lunch carts, incorporating it into their everyday cooking. Corned beef and cabbage are affordable ingredients that create a tasty combination.
Recipe Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 medium carrots, sliced into matchsticks or diced into ¼-inch pieces
- 2 qts chicken broth
- ½ small head cabbage, coarsely chopped (4–5 cups)
- ¼ cup pearled barley
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley, or 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
- ½ tsp dried leaf thyme
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked corned beef, diced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (undrained)
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Heat butter in a large pot over medium-low heat.
- Add the onion and celery and cook until tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add the carrots, chicken stock, cabbage, and barley.
- Stir in the bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and pepper and then bring it to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer, cover pan, and cook for 45 minutes.
- Stir in the corned beef and tomatoes, increase the heat, and return the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning, adding salt if desired.
Recipe introduction and directions © Copyright 2016-2024 World Trade Press. All rights reserved.