Recipe: Beef Barley Soup

BEEF BARLEY SOUP

2 lbs beef stew meat, cut in cubes
2 Tbsp bacon drippings
6 cup beef stock
1/2 cup chopped onions
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 (16 oz) can tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sweet corn
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup barley
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp basil

Brown beef in fat.*

Drain liquid and fat from browned beef. Add beef stock, onions, salt and pepper. Skim fat as it rises to the surface during the initial 5 to 10 minutes of cooking. Simmer the broth for about an hour, until the beef is somewhat tender. Remove beef, allow to cool somewhat, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Refrigerate beef until needed.

Continue cooking the broth over low heat 2 to 3 hours.

Add the beef to the pot. Add remaining ingredients. Cook an hour longer.

*If you are making the beef broth from scratch, you can skip Browning the beef because you will already have done that to make the broth.

Servings: 8
Source: Lynn Z. Schaeffer