Vegan Mofo #2: Irish Beef and Barley Soup...

Every country it seems has some kind of beef stew as a part of their traditional cuisine, so just like with Buttermilk Pancakes, Beef and Barley Soup is one of those recipes that I can’t find reliable origin information on. The Irish cook books I’ve looked through all claim that Beef and Barley Soup is a traditional Irish Farmhouse Soup, but since it’s so popular in many other countries it’s true origin is anyone’s guess. Though Barley is a pretty ancient crop, and people have been making this soup a long, long time, so it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to find out it is Irish, or at least originating in the UK.

I tried to keep this recipe as traditional as possible, and did a fare job of that. The only out of place ingredients are Tamari and Marmite, which I used to enhance the beefy flavor of the soup. Due to the tough cuts of meat this soup is suppose to be cooked with original meat based recipes have a very long cooking time. This vegan version could probably be cooked in less time, but I like the hour long simmer as it provides ample opportunity for the flavors of the soup to marry. However because of the long time, the potatoes do begin to break down, and so this soup ended up thicker and more stew like then a ‘traditional’ beef and barley soup. If that isn’t to your fancy then feel free to add a bit more broth or water to thin the soup out, or decrease the cooking time by 15-20 minutes, to the point where the potatoes are soft but not breaking down.

Irish Beef and Barley Soup 

1 lb Homemade or Store-bought Beef Style Seitan cubed
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 Large Onion Sliced into quarter moons
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
3 Large Carrots Sliced into Rounds
2 Russet Potatoes Cubed
3 Celery Stalks Chopped
1 Large Leek Sliced (White and Light Green Part Only)
8 Cups Vegan Beef Broth or 8 Cups Water + 2 Vegan Beef Bouillon Cubes
1/4 C Pearled Barley
1/4 C Split Green Peas (pre soaked)
1 tsp Thyme Leaves
½ tsp Dried Rosemary
½ tsp Black Pepper (or more to taste)
3 Tbsp Tamari
1 Heaping Tbsp Marmite
½ Bunch Minced Parsley
Sea Salt to taste if needed

- Pour Vegan Beef Stock into a pot and bring to a boil. Once Boiling add Green Split Peas and Barley. Reduce to simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes or until barley and peas are tender.

- Heat 1 tsp Oil in skillet over medium heat. When hot add cubed beef and cook for 8-10 minutes stirring to brown on all sides. When browned to your liking remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.

- Heat remaining tsp of Oil in the same pan, add the onions and saute over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft and golden. Add in the carrots, celery, garlic and leek. Saute another 10 minutes until vegetables are soft.

- Add the sauteed vegetables to the pot with the Barley and Split Peas. Add the cubed potatoes, thyme,.rosemary, black pepper, tamari, and marmite. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to simmer and let simmer gently on the stove for 45 minutes to an hour. Until all vegetables are tender and the soup has thickened.

- Add in the Browned Beef, and Minced Parsley. Stir to combine and simmer an additional 5 minutes until beef is warmed through. Taste for flavor and add more salt or pepper if needed.

- Serve hot and enjoy!

Vegan Mofo #24 - Taymer’s Caribbean Green Split Pea Soup, and Everyday Vegan Ham...

Vegan Mofo #24 - Taymer’s Caribbean Green Split Pea Soup, and Everyday Vegan Ham

The Region - The Caribbean
The Book - Caribbean Vegan
The Author - Taymer Mason
The Recipe - Caribbean Green Split Pea Soup
Page # 78 Every Day Vegan Ham is on Page #100
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - About 1 hour and 20 minutes - not including split pea soak time

Originally this was not a dish I had planned to make for Mofo, however last week on a cool autumn afternoon that continued to threaten storms and rain a hearty soup seemed like just the ticket. I had been eying this particular soup recipe for some time, though had neglected to make it because I never seem to have any luck with split peas. I don’t know why, but no matter how long I soak my peas for they never want to get soft if I use them in a soup, cooked in a pot on the stove. A slow cooker is fine, or if I cook them entirely alone for over an hour at a boil that seems to work, but cooked at a simmer on the stove in less then an hour - it never works. Since this particular soup is eventually blended anyway I thought it might work out alright in the end, pus it served a dual purpose because in making this recipe I need to also make 2 other recipes from the book, the Bajan Seasoning which I mentioned last week, and the Everyday Vegan Ham. I was particularly excited about the Ham.

I have made a vegan seitan ham only once before, and I wasn’t overly impressed, for me the flavor just wasn’t strong enough, so I was really excited to try Taymer’s take on it. Especially since - as everyone knows - you can’t have a truly good split pea soup without vegan ham. Well, no I suppose that’s not entirely true, I have made great - fantastic really - split pea soups without vegan ham, but using vegan ham just makes it more traditional I suppose, and thus more comforting on a cool day.

Growing up split pea soup was my favorite soup that my Oma made. She would make it each time my brother or I got sick, and sometimes she would make it just because. That along with her chicken noodle soup were my favorites, and even though I’ve made several split pea soups - or attempted to - since going vegan I’ve never really been able to find one that comes close to my Oma’s. Until now that is. If you take the heat out of Taymer’s split pea soup I swear it tastes every bit as good - if not better - then my Oma’s version. In fact the similarity is uncanny.

Vegan Ham

For her version Taymer uses onion, shallot, celery, garlic, olive oil, split peas, Bajan seasoning, water, thyme, basil, scotch bonnet pepper, nutritional yeast, seasoning salt, onion powder, chili powder, black pepper, liquid smoke, salt, and the Vegan ham. I followed her recipe exactly except I used a more liberal amount of liquid smoke, and cut back on the scotch bonnet pepper. I also didn’t puree the entire soup as I like my soups a little chunky. Of course that old problem of some of the peas not getting soft enough happened once more even after soaking for 10 hours, but the soup was so good I didn’t mind much. My husband and I ate two heaping bowls a piece and garnished them with some extra Bajan seasoning for good measure. A delicious meal for sure.

But now, you’re probably wondering about the ham am I right? Well it was beyond amazing! Truly the flavor was so good, so spot on, and really reminiscent of what I remember actual ham to be like. For her recipe Taymer uses vital wheat gluten, salt, black pepper, paprika, ground cloves, water, maple syrup, pineapple juice, canola oil, liquid smoke, tomato paste and garlic. I really think that what sets her ham recipe apart is the maple syrup, pineapple juice and the liberal amount of liquid smoke. Most sausage or ham recipes call for liquid smoke to get that smokey flavor but they normally call for a couple of tsp where as Taymer calls for a full Tbsp. It really makes the difference. Not to mention that delicate yet pungent flavor of cloves that really makes the flavors in this vegan ham pop. So, so good! Delicious in the soup, great on it’s own, I can’t wait to try it in something else.

Vegan Mofo #8 - Joni’s Curried Split Pea Burger...

Vegan Mofo #8 - Joni’s Curried Split Pea Burger

The Book - The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet
The Author - Joni Marie Newman
The Recipe - Curried Split Pea Burger
Page # 54 Tzatziki Sauce on page 193
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - 1 hour. If you make the split peas ahead of time then you only have to throw the ingredients together and bake for 30 minutes. Super easy.

Joni Marie Newman is the self-proclaimed Queen of Veggie burgers, and she along with Celine Steen and now Tamasin Noyes have come up with some really wonderful, magical and innovative burger and sandwich recipes. Since I own most of those cook books don’t be surprised if you see an overwhelming number of posts reviewing sandwiches from a handful of the same people. I’m trying to keep it varied but the whole reason I chose sandwiches for my Mofo project was because I hardly ever make them, so what better time then now to put those sandwich and burger cook books into rotation?

Anyway - On to the actual ‘burger.’ This curried split pea burger is very similar to a falafel. Just add curry powder and use split peas instead of chickpeas. Though it’s less complicated then a falafel, as falafels are always fried and typically also contain ingredients like onion, garlic, cilantro chilies or what have you. This is a very simple back to basics burger that utilizes simple wholesome ingredients. Split peas, curry powder, whole what flour, sesame oil, salt and pepper, and a little tiny bit of non-dairy yogurt. They’re easy to make and I like that they’re baked rather then fried. I almost always prefer to bake my veggie burgers I feel it yields a firmer result plus I don’t like the added oil.

When these are ready to eat you can serve them on a bun like a traditional burger or follow Joni’s suggestion and stuff them into a pita with sliced tomato, onion, and cucumber with a nice thick drizzle of her tzatziki sauce. I chose the pita route and even though I make a mean tzatziki of my own I decided for the sake of this post that I’d try Joni’s version. It turned out pretty good and again it was nice and simple. Some non-dairy yogurt, fresh dill, chopped cucumber, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. The perfect accompaniment to this delightful burger. I think the only thing I did differently is that I used extra garlic and dill for the tzatziki - personal preference - and I added more curry powder to the burgers. Just to suit my own tastebuds. Since it’s such a simple recipe it’s easy to play around with, so enjoy it!