Angela's Slow-Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

This is a recipe I have come up with on my own over the last few years. It goes well with a nice, hearty loaf of multi grain bread. Sometimes I vary the veggies that I throw into the pot. I've been known to put in many combinations of the following: frozen peas, frozen corn, carrots, frozen baby corn, yellow beans, green beans, onions, garlic.

My other tip for the success of this soup is not to add too much barley. It is tempting to put a big portion in there, because it doesn't seem like 3/4 of a cup is a lot, but adding too much changes the texture of the broth from soupy to sludgy. However, I like my soup soupy, and you may like yours a bit thicker, more like a stew than a soup. The choice is yours, my dear.

Picture from kalofagas.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

• A splash of olive oil
• 2 small packages of pre-cut stew beef cubes. (Brent likes his really beefy....feel free to make fun of this comment)
• 1 whole onion, diced 
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• Freshly ground sea salt & pepper
• 1 + 1/2 boxes of low-sodium beef broth (the 1L tetrapaks are what I use)
• 3/4 cup of pearl barley
• 2-3 cups of any combination of veggies that you like

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat
2. Pat beef cubes dry with a paper towel. Toss is a bowl with salt & pepper
3. Brown the cubes in batches in the frying pan.
4. Once all of the beef in browned, place in slow-cooker. While the pan is still hot, add the onion and garlic and saute until brown, about 5 minutes. Stir often.
5. Meanwhile, in your slow-cooker, add the beef broth, bay leaves, a sprinkle of salt & pepper, barley and veggies. Add the onions and garlic.
6. Turn your slow-cooker onto low and simmer for about 4-5 hours, or 2-3 hours on high.
7. Serve hot with a big hunk of bread for dipping, or some crackers on the side.