Beef Barley Soup

I have always liked beef barley soup, but it was only with this recipe that I have been able to make it exactly the way I think it ought to taste.  Unlike most recipes, I tend not to fiddle much with this one because it is just the way I want it.  I make it whenever there's roast beef or steak leftover, for immediate consumption or freezing for another day.

Beef Barley Soup

6 oz diced cooked beef
1/2 tbsp canola oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, diced
3/4 c diced carrots
2 c sliced mushrooms
1-2 parsnips or 1 turnip, diced
1 potato, diced
7 c beef stock *
1/4 c pearl barley
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick pan.  Add garlic, onions, carrots and mushrooms and saute until tender.  Add parsnip or turnip, potato, stock, barley, dried thyme and beef.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30-45 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in parsley.


*  When I don't have homemade beef stock on hand, I now use organic Better that Bouillon beef base, which is available at Loblaws.  The base comes as a paste which you can easily stir into boiling water to make the required amount of stock.  When I am using it for soups, I just add water to the pot and then stir the required measure of base right into the soup, rather than mixing the stock up before adding.  The chicken base is also amazing.  I highly recommend them.