Welcome to Tumbleweed Tidings. I am so glad you are here. Today, it is so windy here, I’m afraid our house is going to blow over! That is a problem here in tumbleweed land. So to turn my mind to other areas, like food:), I’m sharing a delicious and simple recipe for Prime Rib Beef Barley Soup that I think you will love, and that might help us get through this last month or so of winter. The downloadable recipe is at the end of this post. You may remember that this past Christmas Day, we had a Prime Rib dinner with our neighbors. With some of the leftovers, I made Prime Rib Beef Stroganoff, which was divine. I shared that recipe here Prime Rib Stroganoff… in case you missed it.
Well, with the last bits of the Prime Rib, I froze them for later to make one of our wintertime favorites, Beef Barley Soup. As you can tell, I wasn’t going to let any of this roast go to waste! For this rendition, I created a recipe that couldn’t be easier, especially because it was made using the slow cooker. Of course, you can make it on the stovetop, too, if you prefer.
To begin, chop up onions, celery and carrots. On this occasion, I had some leftover cooked red potatoes, so I diced those up and added them to the soup, as well. The potatoes are optional, but in this small amount, it really added to the thickness and heartiness of the soup. Next, add some herbs, chicken stock, beef bouillon, roast meat, and the barley.
Set the slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low, and that’s it! If you are home, I would recommend stirring it occasionally, to check for liquid levels, and add water as necessary. Before serving, taste, and salt and pepper as needed.
There is something about the starch that barley gives off while it is cooking that gives the soup a velvety richness, as it thickens the sauce slightly. Not to toot my own horn, but this soup turned out so good, and was such a great way to use up the last of this special roast. We had ours with cornbread, but it would be equally good with rolls or a crusty loaf of French bread.
I hope you find yourself with some leftover beef in the near future so you can try this soup. The downloadable recipe is found below. In some countries, they call dishes like these “peasant food,” because they use earthy, inexpensive, and filling ingredients. Call it what you like, but I think this soup tastes fresh, healthy, and just plain wonderful!
Good tidings,
Diane
