BEEF BARLEY SOUP

~ Taste of Home

3 meaty beef soup bones (beef shanks or short ribs)
10 c. water
1 medium onion, chopped
5 t. beef bouillon granules
1 T. cider vinegar
1/2 - 1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 c. chopped carrots
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 c. medium pearl barley
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/4 - 1/2 t. dill

In a Dutch oven or soup pot, place bones, water, onion, bouillon, vinegar, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Slowly bring to a boil and skim foam with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat; over and simmer 3-4 hours.

Discard bay leaves. Set bones aside until cool enough to handle, then remove meat from bones and dice. Skim fat from broth surface. Add meat, carrots, celery, potatoes, barley, thyme, and dill. Cover and cook 1 hour or until vegetables and barley are tender.

Makes about two quarts.

Notes: I skip the bouillon, replacing 5 cups of beef broth for 5 cups of water instead. Our meat gets shredded instead of diced.

LENTIL & PASTA SOUP MIX FOR GROUND BEEF

~ Food.com

JAR MIX

1/2 c. dry split peas

1/3 c. beef bouillon granules

1/4 c. pearl barley

1/3 c. dry lentils

1/4 c. dried minced onion

2 t. Italian seasoning

1/2 c. uncooked long grain rice

1/2 c. alphabet or other small noodles

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ground beef

3 qt. water (or less, if you'd like a thicker soup)

28 oz. can diced tomatoes

In a 1 1/2 pint jar, layer the first eight ingredients in the order listed. Seal tightly. 

DIRECTIONS FOR RECIPIENT

To prepare soup, carefully remove noodles from the top of jar and set aside. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown beef; drain. Add water, tomatoes, and soup mix. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add noodles, then cover and simmer an additional 15-20 minutes or until all ingredients are tender.

Makes just over one gallon.

Notes: We were given this mix with the noodles in a plastic bag, which was nice because we didn't have to fish little noodles out of the jar when we made the soup. I would recommend doing it that way.

TOMATO, FETA, & BARLEY SALAD

~ Buff Chickpeas

1 1/2 c. barley
4 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. water
3 T. red wine vinegar
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. honey
1/2 c. olive oil
2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
7 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 c. chopped fresh basil
1 c. chopped green onions

Rinse barley and place in a small bowl.  Cover with two inches of water and let soak for about an hour.  Drain and set aside.

Bring broth and water to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Stir in barley, reduce heat to medium. Cover, and boil until tender, but still firm to bite, about 20 minutes. Drain. Transfer to large wide bowl, tossing frequently until cool.

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, and green onions into barley. Add vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Makes about nine cups.

Notes: For the sake of frugality, I chop roma tomatoes into small pieces instead of using grape tomatoes during three seasons of the year. Summer, though, is all about using little tomatoes growing in our yard. I often serve this over a big bed of spinach and/or lettuce.

HEARTY HAMBURGER SOUP

~ allrecipes

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, minced
4 carrots, minced
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1/2 c. barley
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 c. water
3 10 oz. cans beef broth
10.75 oz can condensed tomato soup
1 bay leaf
1 T. parsley
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. dried thyme
ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and crumble in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is evenly browned and no longer pink; drain.

Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for two hours, stirring frequently. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Notes: I add a bunch of extra garlic and thyme, along with some red pepper flakes. This is really good with cornbread.

BEAKER'S VEGETABLE BARLEY SOUP

~ allrecipes

2 qt. vegetable broth
1 c. uncooked barley
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 zucchini, chopped
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1 onion, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. white sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 t. dried parsley
1 t. curry powder
1 t. paprika
1 t. Worcestershire sauce

Pour the vegetable broth into a large pot. Add the barley, carrots, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, garbanzo beans, onion, and bay leaves. Season with garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, curry powder, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 90 minutes.

Makes about three quarts.

Notes: Even the vegetable soup haters in my family like the flavor of this broth. Yum! I dump in a handful of chopped fresh parsley in place of dried.

BARLEY BAKE

~ allrecipes

1/4 c. butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 c. uncooked pearl barley
1/2 c. pine nuts
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 14.5 oz. cans vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, barley, and pine nuts. Cook and stir until barley is lightly browned. Mix in green onions, mushrooms, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the mixture to a 2 quart casserole dish, and stir in the vegetable broth. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until liquid has been absorbed and barley is tender.