Beef Barley Soup

Yesterday I made a big pot of beef barley soup for supper.  With tea biscuits.  Yum!  The weather is starting to warm up, so I'm sneaking in a few last winter type meals before it's all salads and grilled food.  I love this recipe, my friend Stacey first made it for me eleven years ago when Sarah was very sick and in the hospital.  I make it a fair amount in the winter, my oldest, Jason, is particularly fond of it.

This recipe is kind of a guesstimate, so bear with me for the measurements.  It's soup, so nothing's written in stone.

Beef Barley Soup

6-8 cups water
2-3 cubes (or spoonfuls) of beef bouillion
round steak, cut into small squares
1 onion, diced fine
1 stalk celery, diced fine
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 carrots, cut into small pieces about the size of the round steak
2 potatoes, cut into small pieces about the size of the round steak
1/4 cup pearl or pot barley
bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

As I mentioned before, chop up the onions, celery and garlic quite fine, and cut the steak, potato and carrot into uniform pieces.  I like mine cut fairly small.  Pour a little oil or a combo of oil and butter in a pan, and heat.  Add the onion, celery and garlic, and saute in the oil until translucent.  Add the meat, and cook until all the juices evaporate and the bottom of the pan begins to get a golden brown coloring.  This is very important, there's lots of flavor in the drippings stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Add the water, bouillion, carrots, bay leaf, barley and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover pot, and let simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours.  Half an hour before serving the soup, add the potatoes, return to a boil, reduce heat and cover again.  Check the seasoning before serving, and skim off any excess fat.  This goes great with tea biscuits and a salad.  You can use beef stock instead of bouillion as well.