Beef Barley

Droolworthy.

Soup season is a beautiful time of year. Today's beef barley soup is the perfect comfort as the weather starts to turn. It is pretty simple, rich, and filling. This is a pretty traditional recipe, but I added some petite diced tomatoes because I enjoy the acid it brings and I always feel you can never have enough veggies. As is true for most ingredients here, it is totally optional.

Tip: Generously pre-salt the beef the night before! It will make a world of difference with tenderizing the beef. Also, a dutch oven is really suggested for this one. Makes a world of difference. Last, but not least, don't forget that many supermarkets now sell pre-chopped mirepoix, which can be a huge time saver. For this soup, you would use about 2 1/2 cups of mirepoix.

Serves: 4-6 People

Cook Time: 2-3 Hours

Ingredients:

- 2 Lbs. Boneless Beef Chuck (or another fatty cut of beef)

- 2 -3 Tblspns Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Canola Oil will also work)

- 3 Large Carrots, Peeled & Diced

- 2 Ribs Celery, Diced

- 1 Large Yellow Onion, Diced

- 2 Cartons of Low Sodium Beef Broth

- 4 Cloves Garlic, Diced (or Substitute 2.5 Tspns of Garlic Powder)

- 1 14.5 Oz Can Petite Diced Tomatoes

- 1 Parmigiano Rind

- 1 Cup Pearl Barley, Uncooked

- 3 Bay Leaves

- 2 Tspns Worcestershire Sauce

- 2 Tspns Rosemary, Chopped

- 2 1/2 Tspns Thyme, Chopped

- 2 1/2 Tspns Parsley, Chopped (Save Extra for Garnish)

- 3 Tspns Kosher Salt (2 for Beef, 1 for Soup)

- 1 1/2 Tspns Tomato Paste

- 1 1/2 Tspns Low Sodium Soy Sauce

- 2 Tspns Ground Black Pepper (1 for Beef, 1 for Soup)

Instructions:

1. Pour the olive oil in the dutch oven over medium heat and add the beef. Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear on all sides. Once the beef is browned on all sides, put it in a bowl off to the side.

2. Scrape up the meat bits from the bottom of the pot. If the pot is too dry, add some more olive oil.

3. Add the mirepoix along with the garlic and remaining salt and pepper. Saute until the onions start to become translucent.

4. Add the tomato paste, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and stir it all together.

5. Add the diced tomatoes to the pot and stir them in. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes.

6. Add the beef broth to the pot and stir it in. Let simmer for approximately 5 minutes.

7. Add the beef back into the pot along with the fresh bay leaves, parm rind, thyme, parsley, and rosemary.

8. Put the heat on low, cover and simmer for approximately 1 hour.

9. Add the uncooked barley, cover again, and simmer again for another hour (can be less if it is cooking too quickly. Occasionally check the pot and stir so that the barley doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

10. Remove the bay leaves and parm rind and serve in your best soup bowls
    
    

    Enjoy with crusty bread and a glass of red wine! Enjoy!