There is nothing better on a cold winter evening than a bowl of hot, steaming soup.
Serve this one as a dinner by itself. You can have nice crusty rolls or French bread as an accompaniment
The soup is better made with homemade stock, but canned may be substituted.
2 cups beef stock
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/4 cup pearl barley
reserve meat from shin bone from stock or leftover beef
Place all ingredients in a medium to large saucepan. Bring to boil; cover and simmer until barley has swelled and is tender. Tip: Turning off the heat and letting it sit, covered for about 30 minutes swells the barley nicely. If you do this, make sure to heat through till boiling once again.
Makes about 3 lighter servings or 2 hearty servings. Serve with crusty bread and a salad for a complete meal.
Here is a recipe for a simple stock that uses a pressure cooker:
Add about 2 cups of water, a bay leaf, a large beef shin bone, a small onion, some celery, some salt, and a couple of peppercorns to a pressure cooker and cook at high for 45 min. Strain the stock through a cheesecloth, reserve the meat, then chill so the fat congeals and can easily be removed.
