Hearty Beef Barley Soup

This soup recipe is another one of our favorites. It is indeed a hearty soup, and a complete meal with bread and maybe a salad. The recipe doesn't make a large batch, it only serves four, but could easily be doubled for a larger family. I have another recipe for this soup in an Amish cookbook that serves twelve, which I cut down for six, so I could also post that recipe at some point in time. I love the combination of tender beef chunks and barley in this recipe, and it is ready to serve within an hour.

The bread is a new Beer Bread recipe that I just tried. It is excellent, and I will post it later this week, blessings...

Recipe:

1 lb. boneless beef sirloin, or tri-tip steak, also called culotte steak in my market. The tri-tip steak is very tender and juicy.
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3-1/2 cups beef broth or more
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup quick-cooking barley
2 tbsps. minced parsley

1. In a large saucepan, brown beef until juices evaporate, stirring often. (Add a little oil if needed) If there is a lot of juice, and the beef is brown, just add the mushrooms and garlic and continue cooking.
2. Add broth, carrots, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in barley.
3. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until barley is tender. Stir in parsley.

Yield: 4 servings