Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

Today's project is a vegetable, beef, and barley soup. I have this personal love of barley. No really... LOL.




Sooo... First off you probably need to go shopping for a variety of ingredients:

• 1.5 to 2 lbs Beef Roast/Loin or other solid cut of beef seasoned and cooked in advance to taste, allowed to rest, and sliced into 1/4 inch square by 1 inch or smaller pieces
  
• 3-4 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 medium Onion diced
  
• 4-5 Carrots sliced to 1/4 inch slices
  
• 2 stalks of Celery diced
• 1 Leek trimmed, cleaned, and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 7-8 2-3 inch diameter Shitake Mushroom Caps (stems removed) cut into approximately 1/4 by 1 inch pieces
  
• 2-4 tbsp chopped Garlic
  
• 1 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes or other suitable moist potato chopped bite size
  
• 1 14.9 oz can of Guinness Stout or other similar beer product
  
• 2 Liters (about 64 ozs) of Beef Stock
• 1 tbsp low or no sodium Chicken Bouillon
• 1 cup of Pearled Barley, rinsed
• 3 oz of Tomato Paste
• 1 tsp dried or 3 tsp minced fresh Thyme
• 5 Roma Tomatoes chopped
  
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper

So first off you need to cook your beef. Ensure that you've trimmed it well.



Any shiny silvery bluish or shiny white tissue should be removed by pinching at one end of it lifting the meat slightly and then cutting just under it and then sliding the knife against this tissue. Just allow the meat to hang slightly against the knife edge and slide the knife back and forth with barely any pressure. This motion will trim the meat from the tissue. When cooked any of this tissue will ultimately become very hard and is not considered edible nor does it add noticeable flavor or juice. Trim any significant fat only leaving very thin even amounts of fat for moisture. More or less to preferences of course. I hate globs of fat so I trim a lot.



I took my roast and tied it into an even shape and mounted it on a rotisserie spit.



Seasoned it.



And cooked it.



In large stock pot pour oil and heat over medium high heat. When one piece of onion starts to sizzle add all onion to pot as well as the carrot. Stir occasionally and allow to cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add celery, leeks, mushroom and garlic, stir occasionally and cook for 5 more minutes.



Add potato and stout. Turn heat to high. Continue adding stock to pan as well as the chicken bouillon stirring to mix together.

Continue to stir occasionally and when the mixture begins to steam and bubble slightly lower heat to medium or whatever heat maintains a slow steamy simmer. Add barley and tomato paste mixing well.

Set timer for 45 minutes and stir occasionally.

With 15 minutes remaining add thyme, beef, and roma tomato. Continue to stir occasionally.



Once final minutes of the timer are completed taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste. Salt indicated above is for "typical" moderate salt soup. Those who prefer salty soup may wish to add more. Those who like less salt of course may add less or none. This ratio depends on your beef stock and your seasoning level of the beef that was added to the soup.



You may wish to garnish with chopped parsley at the end as well.

Yum :)