BEST Beef Barley Soup

It would putting it mildly to say that "pregnancy nesting" has kicked in. I am BEYOND nesting and I cannot stop cooking and freezing food. Jer thinks it's hilarious and has been (nicely) teasing me that I am preparing for a seven year famine! What can I say?! Welcoming this third baby just might bring exactly that! :)

Anyway, in in effort to multiply the fruits of my labor, I've been pouring through gads of recipes in search of tasty meals that freeze and reheat well. This King Arthur Beef Barley Soup fit the bill but beyond that, it was amazingly good! Nothing like the canned stuff! Although it was a bit cumbersome to make (lots of cooking/cutting/and clean-up) it made about 2 gallons of soup. Definitely worth it's work in finished weight!

If you're interested, I chose to pair it with King Arthur Flour's Soft White Dinner Rolls, but any soft dinner roll or crusty loaf would be just great!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise

2 pounds beef chuck stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks and patted dry (I increased this to 3 lbs because we like more meat!)

1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 quarts beef stock or broth

1/2 pound medium pearled barley, rinsed in cool water and drained (NOT THE QUICK COOK!)

2 yellow onion, chopped

4 stalks celery, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch slices

6 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch slices

6 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes, drained (I cut these up before adding)

DIRECTIONS:

NOTE: I didn't want to use my 10 quart stock pot-I feel like it takes too long to cook in and it cooks unevenly. Instead, I chose to use 2-5 quart stock pots. I cooked half of the meat in each pot and then added 2 1/2 quarts of broth to each pot. I split the rest of the ingredients between the pots as well and it worked just great!

I also chose to dredge my meat in flour (seasoned with s&p) which the recipe does not call for. I liked the end result. The broth seemed thicker than it would have otherwise been. I would definitely do that again!

Heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat in a 10- to 12-inch skillet. Add the garlic and cook until golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the garlic. Working in batches, add a single layer of beef cubes to the skillet and sear on all sides. Remove each batch with a slotted spoon, and sprinkle with black pepper. Leave the remaining oil in the skillet, and set it aside.

In a 10-quart soup pot, bring the stock or broth to a simmer. Add the browned beef and rinsed barley, cover, and return to a full simmer. Reduce heat and cook gently for about 1 1/2 hours.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat and add the onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Stir in the oregano and thyme. Cover the skillet and cook over very low heat for about 15 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables to the simmering soup, then add the chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes before serving. Yield: about 22 servings.