Beef Barley Soup with Mushrooms
2 Tb Oil
2 Lb Beef Chuck
1 Tb Oil
1 Carrot, diced
1 Onion, diced
1 Celery rib, diced
TT S&P
1 Tb Tomato Paste
5 C Beef Broth
5 C Chicken Broth
½ tsp Thyme, dry
1 C Barley, rinsed
1 C Canned Tomato
3 Tb Butter
1 Tb Oil
¾ Lb Mushrooms, quartered
Heat a 7 ¼-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Trim the fat and cut the meat into small cubes. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides until well browned. Remove to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium, add the tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the carrot, onion and celery and sauté for 10 minutes.
Add the tomato paste to the pan and sauté for another 3-5 minutes.
Return the meat to the pan. Add the broths and bring it to a boil.
Simmer, covered, 1½ hours.
Add the thyme, barley, and tomato, continue to simmer covered, for 45 minutes or until the barley is tender.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and add them to the soup, and simmer for 15 minutes more.
Season the soup with salt and pepper.
Note: If making the soup in advance, you may want to adjust the consistency of the soup when re-heating with added water or broth, since the barley has a tendency to absorb the broth.