ARGH . . . . Will it ever end?
Oh no, I have turned into my grandfather who always complained about the weather. Move on Jerry, move on.
For me one of the perfect antidotes for cold weather is a pot of soup bubbling away on the stove. This is comfort food. One of the nicest things about soup is the way you can practically toss anything in the pot and the final result will still be great . . . got some mushrooms laying about the fridge? Dump them in. When I made this I had some leftover Kale from my Bean and Kale soup so I added it. YUM
This soup was hearty and flavourful. I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed barley soup as a child. 'Tis the funny, the things which stick with you over the decades.
Beef Barley Soup
Cooking spray
2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cups chopped leek (about 4 medium)
2 cups chopped carrot
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 bay leaves
2 (14-ounce) cans less-sodium beef broth
1 cup uncooked pearl barleyHeat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add half of beef; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining beef.
Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add leek, carrot, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Return beef to pan. Add water and next 5 ingredients (through broth); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Add barley; cook 30 minutes or until beef and barley are tender. Discard bay leaves.
8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
CALORIES 308(30% from fat); FAT 10.1g (sat 3.3g,mono 4.4g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 26.9g; CHOLESTEROL 71mg; CALCIUM 48mg; SODIUM 548mg; FIBER 5.4g; IRON 4.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.7g
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2005
Comments