Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Beef Barley Stew

Do you ever throw something together for dinner, then forget just exactly what you put in it? Of course it will be a dish everyone loves and wants you to make again. I put together this Beef Barley Soup, remembered to take a quick photo, but didn't write out the ingredients. So I will have to make it again and see if I can figure it out. (I made this December 1st and left it sitting in my drafts until I had the recipe written. My memory just isn't what it used to be.)
Ok, here it is to the best of my recollection:

2-3 lbs stew meat, (can use less, but my bunch are meat eaters)
1 onion chopped
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS flour
1 cup chopped celery, include some green leaves
2 cups chopped carrots
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 can diced tomatoes
2-3 TBS fresh chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
salt
pepper
1/2 cup medium pearl barley

Brown meat in oil. Add onions & garlic, cooking until onion is soft. Add flour to coat meat. For slow-cooker, at this point tranfer this to crockpot. Add broth and stir well. Add remaining vegetables, wine, seasonings, and water or more broth to cover all. Cook 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. Remove bay leaf and add barley during the last hour, cooking on high until it is tender. Serve with crusty french bread.

2 comments:

Melanie said...

Where do you get the barley? I love it and looked for some a few years ago but had trouble finding it. Do you have to go to a natural foods type store?

Truth said...

I've always gotten it in the grocery store. It usually lasts awhile, so I don't purchase it very often. I had trouble finding it the last time. I believe I found it in 2 places at my store. One selection was in the organic section. The other was near the rice/couscous/grains (I think.) The organic one was actually cheaper. If you can't find it, ask to see if it is just hidden somewhere. Could be on the cereal aisle too.