It has been ages, it feels like, since I posted a blog or a recipe or anything. I feel like we have been sucked into a vacuum of activity and cannot find the escape hatch. lol I have, sadly, been making a lot of repeat recipes. This is something I NEVER do...well, rarely do.
BUT, we had a treat come in yesterday. It was a little thing we down here in Texas like to call a cold snap. We went to bed Thursday night to warmth and humidity and woke up to a chill in the air accompanied by a brisk wind. It was wonderful. I read post after post on facebook of people celebrating with firepits, fire places being fired up, and soups galore being made. I had to wait until today to have the time to dedicate to making a good, homemade soup and I decided on trying a new recipe.
I love beef and barley soup, but it is so hard to find a good recipe that is thick and hardy as well as tasty. I found one that I thought looked good..................until I really read it. Sounded pretty bland. I knew with a few tweaks, it could be great, so that is what I did. The result was a very yummy, hardy soup that was warm and satisfying...and plenty was left over for a second meal and for Matt to take for lunch at work (or, I suppose for you that freeze, plenty to freeze for another night).
The best thing about this soup is you can add whatever you like to it. That is what I did. Stews like this tend to use ingredients like carrots which I hate. I looked around my fridge for veggies to add as well as bought a couple. The stew turned out just yummy with all the flavors blended so well. I LOVE barley so much...I don't know why. My family all enjoyed the soup and look forward to the leftovers. I will not post the original recipe, but just know that you can add or take away whatever you may like. This is a versatile soup. Make it in a big pot!
Beef and Barley Stew
2 pounds beef stew meat, diced into 1 inch pieces
Garlic salt and enough flour to coat stew meat
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
32 ounce carton beef broth
large red bell pepper, cut in chunks
couple stalks of celery, cut in chunks
2 small red potatoes, diced into small bites
1 can stewed tomatoes (I got the kind with bell pepper, celery and onion), drained
1 can green beans, drained
1 cup quick cooking barley
**Note, the original recipe called for sliced mushrooms which we didn't have. It also called for frozen mixed veggies which we hate, but would be fine substitute for you.
DIRECTIONS:
1.Heat soup pan with some vegetable oil. Make sure it is nice and hot when you add the meat to brown.
2. Season beef stew chunks with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Coat the meat with a generous amount of flour (this will help thicken your soup). Place seasoned, floured beef in a large soup pot. To insure even cooking, do not put all the meat in at once to brown. This will cause you much frustration. I did a pound at a time. Keep an eye on the oil...add when/if needed. When first batch of meat is browned, take meat out of the pot and set aside...add your next batch.
3. Make sure there is enough oil in pan and add onions. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and thyme to pot and saute for 3 more minutes.
4.Add the remaining ingredients to the pan including the set aside beef EXCEPT FOR the barley. Stir it all together and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add the barley for the last 20 minutes of cooking. Make sure the seasoning is to your liking and enjoy!!
BUT, we had a treat come in yesterday. It was a little thing we down here in Texas like to call a cold snap. We went to bed Thursday night to warmth and humidity and woke up to a chill in the air accompanied by a brisk wind. It was wonderful. I read post after post on facebook of people celebrating with firepits, fire places being fired up, and soups galore being made. I had to wait until today to have the time to dedicate to making a good, homemade soup and I decided on trying a new recipe.
I love beef and barley soup, but it is so hard to find a good recipe that is thick and hardy as well as tasty. I found one that I thought looked good..................until I really read it. Sounded pretty bland. I knew with a few tweaks, it could be great, so that is what I did. The result was a very yummy, hardy soup that was warm and satisfying...and plenty was left over for a second meal and for Matt to take for lunch at work (or, I suppose for you that freeze, plenty to freeze for another night).
The best thing about this soup is you can add whatever you like to it. That is what I did. Stews like this tend to use ingredients like carrots which I hate. I looked around my fridge for veggies to add as well as bought a couple. The stew turned out just yummy with all the flavors blended so well. I LOVE barley so much...I don't know why. My family all enjoyed the soup and look forward to the leftovers. I will not post the original recipe, but just know that you can add or take away whatever you may like. This is a versatile soup. Make it in a big pot!
Beef and Barley Stew
2 pounds beef stew meat, diced into 1 inch pieces
Garlic salt and enough flour to coat stew meat
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
32 ounce carton beef broth
large red bell pepper, cut in chunks
couple stalks of celery, cut in chunks
2 small red potatoes, diced into small bites
1 can stewed tomatoes (I got the kind with bell pepper, celery and onion), drained
1 can green beans, drained
1 cup quick cooking barley
**Note, the original recipe called for sliced mushrooms which we didn't have. It also called for frozen mixed veggies which we hate, but would be fine substitute for you.
DIRECTIONS:
1.Heat soup pan with some vegetable oil. Make sure it is nice and hot when you add the meat to brown.
2. Season beef stew chunks with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Coat the meat with a generous amount of flour (this will help thicken your soup). Place seasoned, floured beef in a large soup pot. To insure even cooking, do not put all the meat in at once to brown. This will cause you much frustration. I did a pound at a time. Keep an eye on the oil...add when/if needed. When first batch of meat is browned, take meat out of the pot and set aside...add your next batch.
3. Make sure there is enough oil in pan and add onions. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and thyme to pot and saute for 3 more minutes.
4.Add the remaining ingredients to the pan including the set aside beef EXCEPT FOR the barley. Stir it all together and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add the barley for the last 20 minutes of cooking. Make sure the seasoning is to your liking and enjoy!!
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