Beef and Barley Soup

Honestly, we don’t eat a lot of red meat around here.  We’re not big fans, but occasionally, it does taste good, especially in a soup.  Paired with barley, this veggie-filled beef soup is perfect for a chilly winter day. 

Vegetable and Barley Soup – Adapted from Good Cheap Eats

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. stew beef, cubed into small bite-sized pieces
• 1 1/2 C sliced carrots
• 1/4 C diced celery
• 1/4 C diced onion
• 1/2 C barley (not quick cook)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 4 C chicken broth
• 1 tsp. herbs de Provence seasoning
• 1/2 C peas, frozen
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Begin by browning the beef on all sides in the bottom of your stockpot.  Add in carrots, celery and onion, sautéing for about 5 minutes. 

Add in the barley and bell pepper and sauté another 2-3 minutes until barley is slightly toasted. 

Pour in the diced tomatoes, chicken broth and tomato sauce.  Stir well. 

Stir in the herbs de Provence seasoning and salt and pepper.  Reduce the soup to a simmer and simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes.  Stir occasionally. 

Add in the frozen peas, and continue simmering for 10 minutes. 

Remove from the heat and serve warm. 

Enjoy!

Leftover Ham Bone, Potato & Pepper Soup

What do I do with a ham bone?!  While I’ve made soup after soup using chicken and turkey carcasses, until recently, I’ve never found myself with a ham bone. 

We do eat ham occasionally, but I usually don’t cook a full bone-in ham.  Since I recently did cook one, I wanted to try making a ham bone soup. 

But, I’ve never really even had a ham broth based soup before, so this was a true experiment for me.  I based it off of two of my favorite ham recipes – this tasty ham and cheese potato casserole and this ham and cheese soup.  I skipped the cheese, although I think a cheese sauce added at the end would be spectacular.  The result was a delicious way to enjoy leftover ham. 

Ham Bone, Potato, and Pepper Soup

Ingredients

• 1 ham bone, with scrap ham remaining on the bone
• 7-9 C of water
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 stalks of celery
• 4 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 tsp. Montreal Steak seasoning
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 C shredded or diced cooked ham (leftover)
• 3 medium red potatoes, cubed
• 1 can (14 oz) Great White Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1/3 C barley

Directions

Begin by placing your ham bone in a large stockpot and covering it with water.  For me, that took about 7-9 C of water.  Use more or less depending on the size of your ham bone.  Season the water with salt, pepper, leftover tops of celery stalks and and 1/4 of the onion.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the meat begins to fall off the bone.  At this point, remove the stock from the heat and carefully strain the hot broth.  Allow the broth to cool down and skim the fat off the top. 

Meanwhile, prepare the veggies.  Dice the bell peppers, cube the potatoes, slice the carrots and quarter the onion. 

Arrange all the veggies into a 6-quart crockpot.  Sprinkle in the 1/3 C barley.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Carefully pour the ham stock into the crockpot.  Season well with 1 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning.  Add in the diced or shredded ham and beans.  Stir. 

Note: I do not recommend using the ham from the bone, unless you’ve tasted it and it still has flavor!  After making stock, the good flavor from the ham often has been picked up by the stock and therefore the remaining ham tastes pretty blah.  So, I recommend “fresh” leftover ham. 

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, until veggies are tender, or on low for 6-8 hours. 

Serve warm and enjoy. 

White Bean, Barley & Roasted Mushroom Soup

After a snowy afternoon, this was just the soup that we needed!

This soup will warm you to the core – and it’s quite filling too. 

White Bean, Barley & Mushroom Soup – Inspired by She Wears Many Hats & Alisa Cooks

Ingredients

• 16 oz. baby bella mushrooms
• 1 C quick cook barley
• 4 C chicken stock
• 2 C water
• 2 cans “white beans” {we used canellini beans}, rinsed & drained 
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. pepper
• sea salt, to taste
• parsley for garnish

Directions

Begin by quartering 16 oz. baby bella mushrooms.  Arrange them on a cookie sheet that has been lined with tinfoil.  Lightly spray them with olive oil and then roast at 425 for 10-15 minutes, flipping once. 

Meanwhile, place 1 C quick cook barley in the bottom of a large stockpot. 

Add in 1 diced sweet onion and 3 garlic cloves, minced.  Sauté until onions are translucent.

Add 4 C chicken broth and 1 1/2 C water.  Bring soup to a simmer, and cook, covered for 10 minutes; or until mushrooms are done. 

Add the roasted mushrooms to the soup stock. 

Place about 1 C beans + the remaining 1/2 C water into a blender and blend the beans.

Pour the bean puree into the soup. 

Then, add the remaining beans to the soup. 

Reduce soup to low and simmer for 5-6 minutes.  Add in the 1/2 tsp. dried thyme and season with salt and pepper during this time. 

Finally, stir in 1 T balsamic vinegar. 

Garnish with parsley and serve. 

Enjoy!

Barley Bake

Barley is a grain I am truly coming to enjoy in things other than soups! I spied this recipe from my friend Joanne, who blogs at "Eats Well with Others" and decided to try it.

By the way... Joanne is amazing.  She's an aspiring cancer researcher currently working on her MD/PhD!  When she's not studying the books, she's cooking up amazing dishes... ones I'd love to serve to royalty.  Seriously... her food and elegant approach to cooking and serving is wonderful.

And, this is just one of her yummy dishes that we've adapted for our enjoyment!



Cheesy Veggie Barley Bake - Adapted from Joanne at Eats Well with Others

2/3 C barley (I used quick cooking)
1 1/2 C water
1/4 tsp. salt
2 medium zucchini
2 red bell peppers
8oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb. Italian turkey sausage (if desired)
1 T olive oil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 egg
1 lb. part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 C extra sharp cheddar cheese

Begin by cooking the barley in the water and salt.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, chop and prepare the veggies.

In a large skillet, brown the Italian turkey sausage.



In another large skillet, saute the veggies in a little olive oil until they are tender.





Add in the spices and stir until combined.



In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese together with the egg.



Mix together the ricotta mixture with the veggies, barley and sausage.





Then, spread in a greased 9x13 glass baking dish.



Sprinkle the top with extra sharp cheddar cheese.



Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, until center is set and the cheese is lightly browned.



Serve warm -- enjoy!



Enjoy!

Barley and Asparagus Pilaf

This week, our Food Network Chef is Robert Irvine. I chose his barley and asparagus pilaf, because I've been on a quest lately to broaden my use of barely in our meals.



I love barley in soups, but typically don't think to cook this grain as a side dish for dinners. This recipe had a great compliment of flavors, and we were pleasantly surprised at how much we liked it.



While I do like Asiago cheese, Parmesan is my favorite, so when I make it again, I'll likely use Parmesan cheese in place of Asiago.



Barley and Asparagus Pilaf - Adapted from Robert Irvine

3 T oil
1 C onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 C barley, quick cooking
4 C vegetable stock
12 asparagus spears, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 C cream
1/4 C Asiago cheese, grated
3 T butter (I omitted)
black pepper, to taste
4 T fresh basil, chopped (I used 1 tsp. dried)

Begin by sauteing the garlic and onion in olive oil over medium heat.



Add the barley and stir to coat in the oil.  Allow the barley to begin to toast.



Reduce the heat just a little.  Add the broth little by little stirring and cooking until each addition is absorbed.



Continue this until you have one addition of broth left.  Add this last addition, and add the asparagus pieces at the same time.



Cook for 8 minutes or until the asparagus is tender.



Then, stir in the cheese, cream and pepper.





Serve garnished with basil.