Beef and Barley Soup

Beef and Barley Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup pearl barley

• 1 lb. beef shank

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1/2 tsp basil

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• water for cooking barley and beef

• 1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes

• 2 carrots

• about 2 cups beef broth

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 onion cut into quarters

• 2 stalks celery, diced

• salt and pepper to taste

• chopped celery leaves, optional

1. Pick over barley to remove any stones/foreign objects. Wash and place in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Cover with water, and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Drain liquid from barley, set aside. Reserve barley in a bowl.

2. Wash, trim beef shanks and cut into big chunks (1 1/2" ). (Do not discard the bones, these will help to flavor the broth that you will use to cook the soup.) Season beef with seasonings. Place in a pressure cooker, completely cover with water and pressure for 15 to 18 minutes.

3. Scrub potatoes and cut into quarters. Cut carrots in half lengthwise then cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

4. Heat oil in Dutch over or soup pot. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring for 3 minutes.

5. Add beef, barley, potato and carrots to the pot. Add beef broth (the liquid that beef was cooked in) and also the liquid remaining from the cooked barley. Add additional beef broth to get a total of about 5 cups liquid for the soup.

6. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add chopped celery leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Serve hot.

Yields: 4 servings

Notes & Tips:

• Growing I enjoyed Beef and Barley Soup quite a bit. My mother did not use potatoes and carrots but instead would use locale fare such as, Eddo, Yam, Cassava and Sweet potato. In fact, most soups that was made in my home as a child had to have beef. I do not recall any soup that had chicken in it.

• If you don't have a pressure cooker. Simmer beef for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add barley 20 minutes into cooking time. Then proceed with step 3.

• Serve with a salad and crusty bread for a hearty dinner on a cold winter's evening.

• Soups are one of my favorite dishes to make. They are so easy to put together and always warms you inside and out.