Mike’s Barley Beef Soup

Here is my recipe for Barley Beef Soup. It’s a small recipe, serving 2-4 people and can be easily expanded.

Barley Beef Soup

• 1/2 pounds beef (stew meat, flatiron steak, etc), cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup dried pearl barley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 (sweet) onion, peeled and diced
• 4 ribs celery, diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 6 cups beef stock or broth
• salt, pepper and other herbs (such as marjoram for the veggies and celery salt for the beef) as needed

Cook the barley according to the directions on the package. Basically, cook over medium heat for 45 minutes in 2 cups of water.

Dredge the meat in flour seasoned with salt and celery salt.

Brown the meat in a hot skillet with a small amount of oil. Cast iron gives it a nice crust!

Cook the veggies until limp in the same skillet after removing the meat and draining the grease.

Add cooked beef and barley to skillet, using the moisture to deglaze the pan and move the everything to a suitable soup pot.

Add the stock and cook for an hour or until ready to serve.