Vegetable Beef and Barley Soup

"I got this recipe from Epicurious and modified it to suit my family's taste. Once a week during the fall and winter I have "soup night" and invite friends and family. This is one of our favorites. I usually just serve it with homemade wheat bread. It is perfect cold weather comfort food. Enjoy!"
 
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photo by mary winecoff photo by mary winecoff
photo by mary winecoff
photo by LizAnn photo by LizAnn
Ready In:
2hrs 30mins
Ingredients:
15
Serves:
8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Heat oil in a large dutch oven.
  • Add meat, season with salt and pepper and saute until dark brown. (About 8 minutes).
  • Remove beef and set aside.
  • Add celery, onions and barley to pan and saute until onion is golden (about 15 minutes).
  • Add water, broth, tomatoes, corn carrots, bay leaves, and garlic.
  • Return beef to pot and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to med/low and simmer uncovered one hour.
  • Add peas and hot pepper sauce.
  • Cover and simmer 30 more minutes.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper and additional hot sauce if desired.
  • Serve.
  • Wait for the compliments.

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Reviews

  1. This is a great, hearty comfort- food soup! I have been making this since 2001. In addition to the stew meat, the original recipe from Bon Appetit calls for 1 lb. of meaty beef bones (such as beef shank bones) which I really think makes the soup have a great depth. I have made modifications over the years for my family's taste. I cut the meat into smaller pieces, more bite size. I use 1/2 cup of barley and omit the okra (personal preference). Add fresh minced garlic (instead of the powder) carrots, shrooms, red potatoes...etc. there is room to be creative here. I also use 4 cups of beef broth, 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of red wine instead of the water. 1 tsp. of hot sauce is enough for us, and we also add some fresh rosemary. I Let this simmer for about 3 hours...it's even better the next day! A perfect winter soup. Thanks for posting MamaJ
     
  2. We liked this soup. Very easy to put together although I did cook my barley separate and added it at the end. I also added extra veggies - mushrooms and green beans along with some Italian seasoning. I skipped the hot sauce because the soup had a nice flavor without.
     
  3. This recipe was really good! I also doubled the barley but forgot to add extra water. It turned out more like a stew but it was delish! Next time I make this I will decrease the hot sauce to 1 tsp as this was just a tad too spicy for my family. Thanks for the great recipe!
     
  4. Hubby said he wanted Beef Barley Soup for supper so I tried this one and he said it tasted better than he had anticipated! I decided to add more barley as 1/4 cup didn't seem like much. I also added 4 additional cups of water and omitted the "beef broth" using about 2-3 tsp. of beef soup base instead. I did not allow the peas to cook, as I wanted them firm and omitted the pepper sauce as we have little ones.
     
  5. I used chuck roast cut into small chunks rather than stew meat, and it was fabulously delicious. I used 1 1/2 tsp of hot sauce, and felt it added to the flavor of the soup without overwhelming it.
     
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Tweaks

  1. I had some ground beef I needed to use up, so I made marbled-sized nuggets from it, browned them and proceeded with the recipe. I used fresh garlic instead of garlic powder, and next time I will let the onion brown before adding the barley, as the barley seemed to interfere. I did use the full quantity of barley, as we really enjoy it. Forgot to put the peas in. I would not use corn next time, as it made the soup too sweet for our taste - I like corn in some other soups, but just not in this one. I browned the meat and onions in the evening, and then did the first hour of cooking the next morning while getting ready for work. This made this very doable for dinner after work.
     
  2. This is a great, hearty comfort- food soup! I have been making this since 2001. In addition to the stew meat, the original recipe from Bon Appetit calls for 1 lb. of meaty beef bones (such as beef shank bones) which I really think makes the soup have a great depth. I have made modifications over the years for my family's taste. I cut the meat into smaller pieces, more bite size. I use 1/2 cup of barley and omit the okra (personal preference). Add fresh minced garlic (instead of the powder) carrots, shrooms, red potatoes...etc. there is room to be creative here. I also use 4 cups of beef broth, 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of red wine instead of the water. 1 tsp. of hot sauce is enough for us, and we also add some fresh rosemary. I Let this simmer for about 3 hours...it's even better the next day! A perfect winter soup. Thanks for posting MamaJ
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I am the mother of four boys--two sons and two stepsons. I am also the grandmother of one very sweet and precocious 3 yr old boy. I was once a healthcare administrator but quit a few years ago to stay home with my youngest. Since he has started to school, I am back to working part time. <br> Next to my family, cooking is my passion. I have a wonderful husband who will try anything. He is my biggest fan and a discerning critic. A couple of years ago, we started a dinner club with friends who enjoy our passion for good food. We have shared many wonderful meals together. <br> My favorite cookbook would have to be a family cookbook that my mom and cousin and I put together a couple of years ago. We shared all the favorites that had been passed down through the generations as well as new favorites. <br> My biggest pet peeve is picky eaters who refuse to try anything new. It bothers me more with adults than with kids, but I love that my six year old will eat just about anything I put in front of him. There is something very gratifying about "grooming" the next generation of foodies. <br><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <br><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/smPACp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <br><img src="http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/j_welcome/pics2/food/PRMRcopy.jpg"> <br><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/Zaar%20World%20Tour%204/ZWTAB-tg.gif">
 
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