Good for the Soul
Last weekend, we took a little break from reality and ran away to Disney World. It seems a little crazy, but it really is a good time to visit the parks. Disney is still limiting how many people can enter the park each day and masks are required everywhere, all the time. They are diligent about cleaning, even more than usual, and there are hand sanitizer stations everywhere.
Last time we went, our girls were 5 and 3. Needless to say, they were able to enjoy themselves quite a bit more this time around. We were able to conquer all of the roller coasters and experience Galaxy’s Edge, the new Star Wars experience.
Now we are starting a new semester and back to reality, but it was good for the soul to have a break.
So, I am back in the kitchen, feeding the fam. This week, I was craving a hearty soup for my stomach AND my soul. It must be this time of year. My blog for the same week last year was my mom’s hamburger soup.
I chose a recipe from my saved archives for Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Stew. It is similar to hamburger soup, but different enough that I wanted to try it. The recipe comes from www.yourhomebasedmom.com.
I set out to the grocery store to restock the bare cupboards and get ingredients for the recipe. It seems I hit the store between delivery trucks, so I had to make a couple of adjustments.
I could not find packaged stew meat, so I bought a beef shoulder and cut it myself. This actually has its advantages in that you can trim it the way you like. If you cut your own meat, resist the urge to remove too much fat, as that adds flavor to the stew.
The other thing I had to substitute was instant barley for regular barley. I actually didn’t know an instant version existed. This only affects when you put the barley into the stew.
Other than those two things, I had everything else and followed the directions exactly.
Start by prepping your meat. Cut it if you need to, then brown it with some olive oil and 1 tsp of Montreal Steak Seasoning.
Once it’s browned, place it into your slow cooker. Next, add chopped carrots, celery, onions and potatoes and some minced garlic.
The seasonings you need are things you probably have on hand – oregano, basil, parsley and thyme. Add a little sugar, black pepper and salt to taste. Not long ago, I found some Merlot salt and I find that adds a nice depth to meaty soups and stews. That’s what I added for salt in this recipe.
Add 4 cups of beef broth and 28 oz. of crushed tomatoes. Stir it all together well and set the slow cooker to 7-8 hours on low.
If you are using regular barley, add it in after the time is up. Stir it in and set the cooker to high for another hour. If you are using quick barley, mix it in and set the slow cooker to high for 10-15 minutes, or until the barley is tender.
Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!
It is delicious and perfect for a cold winter’ night. I will definitely repeat this one.
You can find the recipe here: https://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/wprm_print/52848
