Beef Barley Soup

All winter long I've been wanting to try this soup recipe. I love beef barley soup though I think it's possible that I've only had it from a can. Hot soups are perfect on like snowy days. And we are expecting snow again. So last night, I cooked up a quick soup. Quick because there's little preparation and mostly simmering. Here's what I did.

First, I sauteed up some garlic (minced), onion (large dice), celery, carrot rounds and sliced mushrooms in a little canola oil. Then you add the beef broth (I used Progresso - the kind in a blue box), dried barley and small pieces of stew meat. Finally, you simmer it all together for about an hour or until the barley cooks through.

Steve loved the soup. I thought it was okay but I didn't love it. Here's the part I didn't love. I was hoping that the little bits of meat would be like yummy nuggets that would impart a salty, beefy flavor. Unfortunately, the way the recipe was written, there was little hope for the beef. Next time, I'm going to sear the meat beforehand and then sautee the veggies in the same pot afterwards. I'm also going to add more barley. It's safe to say, I'm going to double the amount. With these changes, the soup will improve and I'll Eat Something Good!