Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 2 c. diced carrots
• 2 c. diced celery
• 1 c. chopped onion (about 1 med. onion)
• 2 – 4 cloves garlic (to taste)
• 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced (I like dried shitake – see recipe)
• 4 qts. beef stock
• 1/2 c. merlot
• 1 lb. barley, rinsed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb. lean beef stew meat, cut in sm. pieces
• 16 oz canned tomatoes
• Salt to taste

Pepper

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp flour

Directions

1. I like to use dried shitake mushrooms in this recipe, they are usually available at oriental markets. If you are using these, then you need to soak them overnight in about 2 cups of chicken stock. Be sure to save the leftover soaking liquid for dashi jiru and miso.
2. Saute carrots, celery, garlic, and onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil with a little salt and fresh ground pepper.
3. Put stock and tomatoes into soup pot and move veggies to this pot as well.
4. Add 2 Tbsp of oil to saute pan, add beef, season with salt and pepper, and brown over high heat, and then add to soup pot.
5. Deglaze saute pan with merlot and add to soup pot.

Simmer about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

1. Now make a roux. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat and then add the flour. Cook this over medium heat, stirring constantly, until roux has turned a golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Add a cup or two of the soup to the roux and mix until smooth. Now add roux to the soup pot and stir well.
3. Add barley and let soup simmer, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes or until barley is cooked and tender.
4. This soup freezes well.