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Sunday, November 13, 2011

Beef and Barley...dare I say SOUP?

photo credit www.the kitchn.com

My husband is not a fan of just having soup for dinner, but will certainly eat it as a side.  He works out big time and needs a lot of calories and substance to fill him up, and soup doesn't cut it! In fact, I have not met a guy who IS a fan of just eating soup for dinner.  And this video assured me of this.  Anyway, I still crave homemade soup and get urges to cook it for my own sake.  But I try to find recipes that are so thick and hearty that you could disguise it as a meal, if you had to, by serving it on a plate!  Well this healthy and hearty stew (adapted from www.thekitchn.com) certainly fit the bill as I served it in a bowl, and Israel dumped it on a plate as that made more sense to him.  With homemade buttermilk biscuits (with fresh roll butter from a local farm and strawberry rhubarb jam from farm as well) and steamed veggies, this meal was quite satisfying.  Quinn really enjoyed it and thanked me for dinner.  (Awww.) I think the Dutch Oven is the key here.  Anything cast iron will really bring out the flavors!



Beef and Barley Stew
Makes 6-8 servings
2 pounds stew meat, bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, diced
4 celery stalks, sliced
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine (I used sherry)
2 cups beef stock (I used 3 beef bouillon plus 2 c water as I didn't have beef stock)
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cup barley
salt and pepper
Film the bottom of a large dutch oven with canola oil and set over medium-high heat until the oil is hot. Working in batches, add a single layer of meat to the bottom of the pan. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes until the cubes loosen and are seared golden-brown. Flip the cubes and sear the other sides. When all sides are seared, remove the meat to a clean bowl or plate. Sear the remaining meat in batches. If there is any liquid in the pot after the last batch is finished, pour it over the meat.
Heat one teaspoon of canola oil in the pan and cook the onions with a pinch of salt until they are translucent and brown around the edges. Add the celery and carrots and cook until just softened.
Clear a space in the middle of the vegetables and sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the thyme and bay leaf, and stir all the seasonings into the veggies.
Pour the wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the wine bubbles. Let the wine reduce down until most of it has evaporated or been absorbed by the veggies.
Add the meat and any drippings back to the pot. Pour in the stocks and top with enough water to cover the meat and veggies about about a half an inch. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low.
Cover the pot and let it simmer for 1 hour. Add the barley and cook for another 45 minutes or so until the barley is cooked and the meat is almost falling apart (check by piercing it with a fork or knife. There should be no resistance and the meat should flake apart with pressure). Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

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