Nana's Beef & Barley Stew

Submitted by Aunt Willie

"This comes from my grandmother's shoebox of recipes -- and it is good! Perfect in the winter with a nice green salad and plenty of crusty bread. This makes a huge pot -- I usually freeze some to have on hand for a quick dinner. I have also added leftover corn or green beans to this and it is still fabulous. It is not a lot of work -- just the simmering takes some time. But it is worth it."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 45mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped coarsely
• 2 garlic cloves, mashed
• 2 lbs stewing beef, cubed (chuck or round)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can condensed beef broth (I have used 4 beef bouillon cubes dissoved in 1 1/4 cup boiling water for this)
• 4 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
• 4 celery ribs, trimmed and cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms
• 1 cup pearl barley, cooked to package directions

directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot.
2. Saute chopped onion, mashed garlic and beef until beef is browned on all sides.
3. Add beef broth, water, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper.
4. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.
5. Simmer 1 1/2 hours.
6. Add carrots and celery and simmer an additional 30 minutes.
7. You may have to add some more water at this point.
8. Add mushrooms and cooked barley, simmer another 15 minutes.
9. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Reviews

[RecipeNut]

This stew was awesome! The beef was melt in your mouth! YUMMMM!! The barley did not have directions on the bag so I went to Zaar and found barley needs to cook 30 minutes before adding to stew. This was delicious!! Thanks Aunt Willie ; )

 

[wowclaypool]

Very tasty, very hearty soup. Great comfort food. I skipped the celery and added potatoes instead. The recipe also makes a lot of soup--I doubled the recipe and had to use two pots.

 

[Zee7181]

At first I was going to give this 4 stars. That was until my DH (who normally doesn't care for stews or soups) said he loved it ... and then it was even better the next day! Yum, yum. I will make this frequently. I may try adding some frozen green peas at the end of the cooking time and maybe an envelope of brown gravy (although this makes a nice gravy on its own). I've been searching for an excellent beef and barley recipe and this is it!

 

[atm1970]

I just had this, this weekend at Chef Sudie's house, it was sooo good. I loved it and I can't wait to make it myself.

 

[PMP9512]

This was really good...a real "stick to your ribs" kind of meal. Served with salad and crusty bread.