Review: Beef and Barley soup-Jan/Feb 2005

[ethecat]

I didn't see a review of this yet, but I remember several people had it marked to try.

Made this last night after work. It came together very quickly and easily. (Thanks for those who gave tips on using leeks in another thread!) I liked the simplicity of the ingredients used and the straight forward cooking technique. Perfect for a busy weeknight. The soup has a wonderful flavor even though the total cooking time was only and hour and a half. This one is another keeper for those who love the quick, easy and flavorful soups.

I am looking forward to trying the leftovers to see how the flavor changes. I think this soup would freeze well.

[Karen92157]

Thanks for the review. This is on the menu for tomorrow night. I like the idea of putting in some leeks - I love leeks!

[Peggy]

We had this soup this weekend and were very pleased with it. Easy to make and greaet on a cold winter night.

Peggy

[aggie94]

Excellent soup! I made this yesterday (along with the Rosemary Focaccia, which I'll review on a separate thread) and it came together very easily. My only changes were to use about 1 1/2 cups less water (I prefer my soups stewy versus brothy) and instead of canned beef broth, I used Penzey's beef soup base. Delicious!

[Ralph]

We enjoyed this, too!

As has been said, very easy to put together; it just takes a while to cook.

[veschke]

Excellent! I'm making this (and some sort of bread) for tonight as we hunker down for whatever weather is on the way (I have yet to see a correctly predicted snowstorm in my ten years in New England -- if they're forecast, they fizzle -- but there's always a first time).

[veschke]

Well, no fizzle! The weather is awful, but the soup was great. The store didn't have any leeks so I used onions. By the time the soup was finished they were meltingly tender and the whole thing was very, very good. This recipe is supposed to make eight servings, I think my husband had three. <g>

The rosemary foccaccia, though, was "eh." I will continue my search for a really good recipe.

[Terrytx]

We also thought this was excellent.

[helene]

Can someone post the recipe since I did not get my CL yet.

[Terrytx]

* Exported from MasterCook *

Beef and Barley Soup

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Beef Soups And Stews


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------

Cooking spray
2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cups chopped leek (about 4 medium)
2 cups chopped carrot
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 bay leaves
2 (14-ounce) cans less-sodium beef broth
1 cup uncooked pearl barley

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking
spray. Add half of beef; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove
from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining beef.
Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add leek, carrot, and garlic; sauté
4 minutes or until lightly browned. Return beef to pan. Add water and next
5 ingredients (through broth); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and
simmer 1 hour. Add barley; cook 30 minutes or until beef and barley are
tender. Discard bay leaves.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 308(30% from fat); FAT 10.1g(sat 3.3g,mono 4.4g,poly 0.9g);
PROTEIN 26.9g; CHOLESTEROL 71mg; CALCIUM 48mg; SODIUM 548mg; FIBER 5.4g;
IRON 4.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.7g




Source:
"Cooking Light, JANUARY 2005"

[Lrimerman]

I made this a couple of weeks ago. We really liked it too. I will be making it again in the future.

Lisa

[acb11]

I am the lone dissenter on this one....I was not thrilled with this soup. Just ok--goes in the "forget about it pile" for me. Happy to hear others enjoyed it.

[helene]

Thanks for the recipe

[summer02]

Originally posted by acb11
I am the lone dissenter on this one....I was not thrilled with this soup. Just ok--goes in the "forget about it pile" for me. Happy to hear others enjoyed it.

Don't worry, you're not alone. I didn't really like it either - it was just too carrot-y for me. Two cups of carrots didn't look like too much, but their flavor took over my soup.

[kimmer99]

Made this for dinner last night and all I have to say is yumm. I have 3 more quarts in the freezer and can't wait to eat it.

[Connor's mom]

We enjoyed it, and I will likely make it again on a cold night, but DH is not a huge carrot fan. I sub'd 1C chopped celery for one of the cups of carrots, less water (thicker, more stew-y) and it was more to our liking.

[maisies1]

I have some in my freezer from several weeks ago now. If you reheat it, keep a can of broth by the saucepan and add a little bit by bit as you reheat... it get gummy when you thaw it.
But VERY tasty and comforting.