To Soup or Not To Soup

My hubby was sick a couple days ago, nasty cold, cough, cough, ahhhhchoo. One of his favorite soups is Beef Barley Soup. And canned soup is just not good enough for my man...so, off to the store I went for beef, barley and veggies.

Here is my creation:

Jimi's Manly Beef & Barley Soup

1 cup barley, uncooked
4 cups water

Olive oil
2 1/2 lbs stew meat, cut in 1/4 cubes (approx)
1/4 c flour
salt & pepper, to taste
3 tbsp minced fresh garlic
1 small minced onion
10 to 12 cups beef broth
1 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
4 c. assorted frozen veggies (peas, carrots, green beans)


1. Put barley and water in a pan and bring to boil, allow to boil for approx 30 minutes.

2. While barley is cooking, dice stew meat into small bite size pieces. Toss with flour, salt and pepper.

3. In a dutch oven, heat olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes; then add the flour-coated stew meat until stir til nicely brown.

4. Drain barley and set aside.

5. Add beef broth, veggies, spices and barley. Simmer for 45 minutes.

This was a quite tasty and quickly prepared soup. Next time I am going to roast fresh veggies and meat to add a more caramelized rich flavor.

Bon Appetit