Hearty Beef Barley Soup

The recipe comes from The White Gull Inn located in Door County, Wisconsin.  This is one of our favorite restaurants.
 
Serve this hearty soup with a piece of rustic bread and you have a complete meal. 
 
This makes a big batch of soup.  It did not all fit in my 5 quart Dutch oven.  I had to use two different pots to cook this in and then combined both pots together when the soup was finished cooking.  I'm glad I did not cut the recipe in half.  I shared some of the soup and froze some for later!         
 

4 TBS (1/2 stick) butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery*

1 cup diced carrots*
1 cup diced red peppers (optional)
2 1/2 - 3 lbs beef round stew meat  (you may need to cut into smaller pieces)
1 lb sliced mushrooms*

1 tsp dried thyme (optional)
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf (optional)
4 quarts beef stock
1 3/4 cups barley (don't be tempted to add more barley, the barley expands and thickens up)
 

*Cut the celery, carrots and mushrooms into 1/2" thick slices as they shrink quite a bit.

In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Lightly season the meat with salt and pepper.  Brown the meat in the stockpot in small batches.  You do not want to over-crowd your pot or your meat will steam instead of sear.  Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
 
Add garlic, onions, celery, carrots and peppers to the pot.  Sauté until the onions are tender.  Add the meat back to the stockpot with the vegetables.  Add the mushrooms, thyme, onion powder, pepper, bay leaf and beef stock.  Bring to a boil.
 
Cover pot.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Meat should be tender.
 
Stir in barley and continue to simmer (covered) for 30-45 minutes or until barley is tender.

If soup is too thick, you may add more beef stock or water.

Serves: 10-12
 
Source:  The White Gull Inn - More Favorite Recipes from Our Kitchen  
 
Janice