Beef & Barley Soup

Ingredients

Quantities are for 4 servings.

• 1 1/2 lb Beef stew meat, cubed
• 1 cup Pearl barley
• 3 each Carrots
• 3 stalks Celery
• 1 each Yellow onion
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 6 cups Beef broth
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 each Bay leaf
• 1 tsp Dried thyme
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 loaf Crusty bread

Instructions

1. Pat the beef stew meat dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the beef in batches, about 4-5 minutes per batch, until deeply browned on all sides (it does not need to be cooked through yet). Remove to a plate.
2. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until starting to soften. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
3. Return the beef to the pot along with the beef broth, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
4. Stir in the pearl barley and simmer uncovered 20-25 minutes more, until the barley is tender and the beef is fork-tender and reaches at least 145°F internally (it will be well above that after this long simmer).
5. Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Ladle into bowls and serve with slices of crusty bread.