Is is a stew, or is it a soup? Who knows, but I call it a stoup! The day I made this it ate more like a soup, but the second day, its texture was more like a stew. I’m thinking the barley continues to soak up the liquid and thickens overnight. Either way, it was about time I made this staple cold-weather meal. Sooo comforting!
I used the last package of our top sirloin steak from last year’s quarter cow as we began to make room for our new cow in the freezer. Our lucky daughter got to take home about 10 pounds of ground burger to share with her ever-hungry male roommates in college that we never got around to using. (It appears we ate way less burger than we did in prior years.) You can use any cut of beef for this that doesn’t need a super-long cook for tenderness.
Beef Barley Stoup
1 pound beef, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper, for seasoning meat
Flour, for dusting meat
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 14.5-ounce can stewed tomatoes
4 cups homemade or low-sodium beef broth
1 bay leaf
3 small sprigs thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
Salt and pepper, to taste
Season cubed meat with salt and pepper, then toss with some flour to dust it. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add beef to pot, and sear cubes on all sides until browned. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Add onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and cook about 8 to 10 minutes, until mushrooms start to brown. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste in the last minute of cooking.
Pour in the red wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up the browned bits. Add the stewed tomatoes, beef broth, bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Stir well to combine. Add the meat, including any accumulated juices in the bowl.
Bring to a boil, then stir in the barley. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, for about 45-60 minutes or until the barley is cooked. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs and taste for additional salt and pepper. Serve in bowls with crusty bread for dipping/sopping.
p.s. Tomorrow starts my seventh year of blogging, can you believe it?? Thanks for hanging with me! And please have a safe and Happy New Year!
This looks and sounds delicious! “Stoup” sounds perfect. I like my beef veg soup chunky! Happy new year and continued success!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! I hope your new year is awesome. 🙂
LikeLike
It looks like real comfort food whatever you call it. Happy New Year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Gerlinde, Happy New Year to you and yours! Hope it’s a great one!
LikeLike
One of my Mom’s winter mainstays! We had a kerosene stove in the kitchen and she would slow cook the soup all day – wonderful aroma filling the house!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It does smell lovely, doesn’t it? I didn’t quite have all day to make this so choose a quick-cooking beef. Thank you Noelle!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That looks great and I’ve got a pound of leftover roast beef in the freezer waiting for something like this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, what a win for you!! Thanks and enjoy Mad Dog!
LikeLike
Such a hearty and filling dish. I don’t use barley often, so will keep this in mind for my next “stoup”! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Ronit, I don’t either which is why I thought it was high time to make something like this! It’s so comforting for winter. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks delicious.
LikeLike
This recipe looks and sounds wonderful — a real “stick to the ribs” meal for me. I just printed it out and now I’m gonna share this with my friends on FB. Thanks so much for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, I appreciate your comments and share! I do hope you enjoy it, me and my family sure did!
LikeLike
Anything with barley!
LikeLiked by 1 person
First, this looks divine. Absolutely rib-sticking. Bookmarked. — Secondly, a quarter cow is about how much meat? How big does my freezer need to be for that much? I have a friend who breeds grass-fed (mostly prime-grade) organic beef. How much do I need to order?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, thanks Adam!! We get about 170 pounds or so from the cows we’ve bought, this is our fourth one I think. Figure about two standard camp cooler’s worth. And ALWAYS ask for the beef/soup/dog bones, whatever they end up calling them. Great for making stock and of course you get the yummy marrow. A quarter cow has always been plenty for our family of three, which is now down to two with our kiddo off to college. We ended up with about 20 pounds left this year before this year’s cow, but our daughter has been gone since August and my temp night shift job precluded cooking much of it the past month or so. I say start with a quarter cow this year and see how it goes!
LikeLike
I just finished eating the last of my beef barley soup. The barley does continue to expand as I mentioned in my post and I had to add almost 16 oz. more liquid – no stoup for me! Great soup for this cold weather.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it sure is! Thanks Judi!
LikeLike
Oh I wish I had some right now. Grandma used to make beef barley soup but i never have. I need to change that. I love soup but hubby not so much darn it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just tell him it’s stew, OK? I think you should make it, it’s certainly hardy enough for the men. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
GREAT Idea!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A perfect winter dish! Btw, please revisit my last post. The video is now available. I mistakenly had the post published before the video. I intended to publish tomorrow!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll go look-see now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy New Year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Same to you Mary!
LikeLike
Yum. You always take such great pictures of your food. I bought some barley but have yet to use it so really glad you posted this recipe. I’m sure your daughters roommates will be excited to get the ground beef. We have been eating less of it as well. These days I am eating mostly plants, fish and eggs. (I think the sopping with bread is the best part). 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Gina! And Happy New Year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, I’ll be making this in the New Year 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent, thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beef and barley. Made for each other, and your take looks delicious, especially for a cold winter night. Happy New Year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy New Year to you too Darryl!
LikeLike
Ohmygosh, I am SO craving this now!! This looks incredible!! And yes, I do make my own, but I want your beef barley, now!!
I want to wish you and yours the happiest of New Years, KR!! Thanks for being a constant source of inspiration and support!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
And you are my source too for new ideas! I can’t tell you how many of your recipes I print… “for later…” lol. But yes, I do end up making many of them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beef Barley is one of my ALL TIME favorites! This one looks so good. I hope your new year is off to a great start. Happy 7 years of blogging! So much to celebrate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! So far so good, lol!
LikeLike
Happy New Year, Kathryn! This looks and sounds so hearty, warming, and delicious. Yum!
You know… I’ve never cooked with barley. While I’ve made my way to many delicious foods that were not part of my childhood, I’ve never gotten to barley. Maybe this year I’ll take that culinary adventure.
Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Barley is such a comforting addition to a beef stew. Try it, you’ll like it! Thanks so much, and get well soon sweetie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yum, stoup. Ha ha. That looks so cozy and flavorful, Kathryn. Deglazing the pot with wine – now that’s my kind of cooking. Thanks for the recipe. I can’t wait to give it a try!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you get to! It’s perfect for this freezing fog weather we have been getting the past few days, hopefully you’re a bit clearer over there. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ve been getting more sun than usual this time of year… thus… fog! Forget driving at night, too. It’s like a Stephen King novel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t had beef barley soup in ages and yours really looks good. Congratulations on all your years of blogging. I’m looking forward to what you will be sharing with us this year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Karen! I know, it’s one of those dishes we all love but seem to forget to make more often. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw Jodi’s comment and had to come over and check your beef “stoup.” It looks delicious and I like every ingredient in this! Smiles, Robin
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, thanks so much Robin, I hope you get to make it sometime! 🙂
LikeLike
Yummmm
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Lynn!
LikeLiked by 1 person