Beef and Barley Stew
Even though the groundhog says spring will be early...and even though its staying light later...it's still been so cold and windy. Another rainy, cold day...sure doesn't seem like spring is coming. With that being said, nothing sounded better on such a day but a nice hearty stew...or maybe as Rachel Ray would say...a stewp (or stoup?...I never did see that in writing. lol) because it's definitely a soup but hearty enough to be called a stew. I enjoy the whole process of planning and executing a recipe...particularly on the weekend when I have time..and this is just how I approached this. But please feel free to omit steps or adjust any way you see fit. You could even throw all of this in a crockpot and let it go...after you brown the beef that is ;-) Enjoy! And who knows...maybe spring really is just around the corner!
Ingredients:
- 2 T olive oil
- S & P
- 1/4 C flour
- 1 lb. stew beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 6 oz. crimini mushrooms, halved and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 C red wine
- 1 T worcestershire sauce
- 1 t dried marjoram
- 1 t dried oregano
- 1 t fresh thyme, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 C beef broth, hot
- 3/4 C barley
- 3 carrots, diced
- 1 lg. celery stalk, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 2 potatoes, diced
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes w/rosemary & oregano
- 1 t Kitchen Bouquet
- S & P
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in large soup pot with heavy base, over high heat.
- Season beef with S & P, toss in flour
- When oil is very hot, add beef, carefully placing them so they are not crowded. Do it in two batches if you need to. Let them sear up nicely before turning them. Flip them and brown the other sides. They should be nicely browned after about 5-7 mins. Remove to a plate
- Add onions to pot, lowering heat to med. You may need to add some more oil to keep things from getting to dry. After a few minutes when they begin to soften, add the mushrooms. The moisture from the mushrooms should allow you to begin loosening those brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Once the mushrooms have softened, add the red wine and finish deglazing the bottom of the pot.
- Add the worcestershire sauce and seasonings and return the beef to the pot. Stir everything and simmer for a few minutes until it's thick and begining to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the hot broth and stir well making sure everythings mixed well and the bottom of the pan is clean.
- Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Cover and let simmer 1 hour.
- Add the carrots, celery, red onion, potato, and barley. Let simmer another 45 mins. - 1 hr.
- Add the kitchen bouquet and the tomatoes with their juice. Let simmer another 30 mins. or more.
- Serve garnished with fresh minced parsley and green onions. May serve with sour cream as well.
