Sometimes you try a new recipe and it goes off without at hitch, seamlessly incorporating itself into your repertoire.  Other times, you beat it into submission, until it bends to your will…

A recipe for beef soup- what could be so hard about that, right?  Well, if you’ve never cooked with beef shanks before and you don’t realize just how long it takes for them to break down and be edible, you might think that the recipe’s 90-minute suggested cooking time was reasonable, and might try to attempt making it after work one night.  If you did, you would find that it actually required at least a few hours of simmering to reach the right consistency (this was discovered over the course of three days, in which I would cook it for a while each night and stick it back in the fridge before going to bed because it STILL wasn’t done).  It wasn’t a huge tragedy, and eventually I got my soup done and it was delicious, but if I ever cook with beef shanks again I think I would consider going the slow cooker route and putting them in before work.

But enough about the beef, some of you are probably saying “What is this ‘freekeh’ of which you speak?”  Long story short, it’s a form of wheat that has been roasted and has a wonderful smoky flavor.  (You can read more about it in this post.)  I had never cooked with it before and my blogger friend Warda had mentioned using it in soup, so when I saw this recipe, with its warming flavors of cardamom, cinnamon and allspice, I was attracted to it instantly.  However, if these flavors don’t appeal to you, I think freekeh would be excellent substituted for barley in any mushroom, beef, or lamb-barley soup.

In spite of my issues with the recipe (which I have modified slightly in hopes of sparing you the aggravation I experienced!) the soup turned out to be a winner.  Marvin, who isn’t the hugest soup fan, gave it two thumbs up.  If anyone has slow cooker experience and can suggest how to adapt it, let me know- I think it would work well.

Beef & Freekeh Soup (Shorabat Freka) adapted from The Arab Table
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2 cups freekeh (see notes)
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 large or 2 small onions, finely chopped
2 1/2 lbs beef shanks (2 large shanks should be approximately this weight)
1 tsp ground cardamom
5 cardamom pods (see notes)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground allspice
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 cups boiling water

optional: 1 28-oz can peeled plum tomatoes, chopped

to serve: lemon wedges and fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley

Notes:

• There are two types of freekeh, crushed and whole.  You can use either one; the whole freekeh will just take a little longer to cook.  The freekeh I bought came packaged and I did not see any stones, but if you buy it in bulk you should sort through it like you would with lentils.
• The original recipe called for simmering the beef shanks for a total of about 1 1/2 hours.  I needed to simmer mine much longer before I was able to separate the meat into pieces, and even then, it was tough (har har).   I had never worked with beef shanks before and did not realize how cartilaginous they are! Just be patient, though, and you will be rewarded.
• I’m not exactly sure why the recipe calls for ground cardamom AND cardamom pods.  If you only have it ground and don’t want to buy the pods, I would think you could just add an additional 1/4 tsp or so.
• According to the author of The Arab Table, Jordanian cooks sometimes add tomato to this soup.  Although I love tomatoes, I preferred to try it first without, just to get the full impact of the aromatic spices.  I did end up adding some tomatoes in with the leftovers and liked it.  It’s easy to add the tomatoes at the end, so try it both ways and see which you prefer. (Use the tomatoes and the juice released when chopping them, but don’t add the thick purée they come in.)

Directions:

Put the 10 cups water on to boil while you gather the rest of your ingredients and chop your onions (if you have an electric tea kettle, this is a great use for it).  Wash and pat dry the beef shanks; give them a generous coat of salt and black pepper on both sides.  Set aside.

If you are using whole freekeh, fill two medium bowls with water.  Place the freekeh in one bowl, swirl it with your hands and transfer it by hand or with a slotted spoon to the second bowl.  Repeat, refilling the bowls with fresh water until there is no more debris.  Drain the freekeh and set aside.  (If you have crushed prepackaged freekeh there is no need to wash it.)

In a Dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté until it begins to soften.  Add the beef shanks and spices  and stir well to coat the beef, about 3 minutes.  Add the boiling water, cover the pot, and return to the boil.  Skim the foam from the surface of the soup.  Reduce heat and simmer gently, covered.

After 2 hours or so, you can check the meat every 30 minutes by poking it with a fork.  When it’s nearly falling apart, remove it from the soup.  Cover the soup and turn the burner off or on the lowest setting.  When the meat is cool enough to handle, pull it from the bone, tearing it into bite-sized chunks and discarding any gristly pieces.  (If the meat does not pull apart easily, return it to the soup and cook it longer.) Return the pieces of meat to the soup pot.

At this point, you can add the freekeh, or you can do what I did, which was to refrigerate the soup overnight so as to skim the fat from the surface.  Either way, return the soup to a simmer and add the freekeh along with 1 Tbs salt.  If using crushed freekeh it will cook almost instantly, like bulghur.  If using whole freekeh, simmer for 30-45 minutes.  The freekeh should retain a slight crunch when you bite into it, like biting into a kernel of corn.  If you are using tomatoes you can add them at this point.  Taste the soup for salt and pepper, adding more if needed.

Serve with wedges of lemon and fresh chopped parsley.