Since we’re still having cooler than normal weather here in So Cal, I’ve been making a lot of soups. Jeff’s happy – since he normally grills 5 nights a week. He says it’s too cold to grill. (I know. We’re wimps.)
This Beef & Barley Soup is an adaptation from the Rainy Day Beef & Barley Soup in the Simply Classic Cookbook. It’s one of my favorite cookbooks (a Seattle Junior League book).
Beef & Barley Soup
Serves six to eight
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. Beef Round Steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
2 Tbs. Canola Oil, divided
2 cups Onion, finely chopped
1 cup Carrot, diced
1/2 cup Celery, diced
1 lb. Mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. dried Thyme
6 cups Beef Broth
1/2 cup pearl Barley
3 Tbs. fresh Parsley, chopped (optional)
Directions:
1. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Place 1 Tbs. of oil in dutch oven and brown beef until no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Heat remaining oil in same pot. Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, garlic and thyme. Cook 5 minutes more.
3. Add beef broth, barley and beef to the cooked vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. You can add water, if necessary during the cooking time.
4. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
NOTES: I’ve made this soup with leftover grilled steak – and it’s delicious! I usually use Trader Joe’s stock for soups. Since this calls for 6 cups of broth, I sometimes use 1 box of beef stock (4 cups) and 2 cups of chicken stock.
