Mom's Beef Barley Soup

Mushrooms, which go nicely with beef, would make a nice addition. We have also added potatoes, cubed, along with the carrots making the soup a little more stew-like. Other good additions are: green beans, corn, peas, black or kidney beans, squash, etc.

Mom did not add the parsley or basil, just the bay leaf.

1 pound of stew beef (round or chuck), cut into 1/2" chunks (short ribs also work)*
salt and pepper
2 c. carrots, diced
1 c. celery, diced
1 lg. onion, diced
1/2 c. pearl barley, rinsed with water
6 cups of beef or vegetable broth
2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. dried basil
1 bay leaf
1/4 chopped fresh parsley

Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper and brown in a soup pot in a little oil. Remove beef and set to the side.

*According to SeriousEats.com: "Browning the meat in large pieces adds deep, roasted flavor, without the over-toughening that happens when you brown it in smaller pieces."

Add the diced vegetables and the barley to the pot and stir them around to pick up the flavor bits. Cook for a few minutes until the onion and celery begin to turn transluscent. Remove vegetables and barley and set to the side. (Toasting the barley adds a nutty dimension to the grain.)

Add 1/4 cup of broth to the pot and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

Add the browned beef, the rest of the broth, the basil, bay leaf and salt. Cook on low for several hours until the meat is tender. Check to see if you need to add more liquid as it cooks. Add a little water if necessary.

Add barley, reserved vegetables, and simmer until barley and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings and add the fresh parsley. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Good served with some crusty bread (perhaps a black bread) and a salad.

Variation: Add 1/3 to 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms with the vegetables and barley.

NOTE: Quick cooking barley takes only 10 - 12 minutes to cook.

6 - 8 servings