Ingredients:
- 1 cup barley, cooked according to package instructions
- 2 rib eye steaks (about 1 pound each), trimmed of excess fat and cubed into bite-size pieces
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 4 tablespoons flour, divided use
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning/dried herbs
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce / 411 gram) can diced tomatoes, drained of juices
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoons chopped parsley
Direction :
-Begin by preparing your barley according to package instructions; set aside once cooked.
-While the barley cooks, prepare the soup: place the cubed rib eye into a medium bowl, and sprinkle with a couple of good pinches of salt and pepper; sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of the flour, and toss to coat.
-Place a medium-large soup pot over high heat, and add in the butter and the olive oil; once melted and hot, add in beef cubes (work in two batches as to not overcrowd the pot) and allow it to sear on all sides until a golden crust forms, about 1-2 minutes; remove from pot and set aside. (Beef should be rare inside.)
-To the same pot, add in the diced onion, carrots and celery, and stir to saute for 2-3 minutes, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of pan for flavor; add in the Italian seasoning and the garlic, and stir until aromatic.
-Add in the tomato paste and stir to combine, followed by the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour, stirring that in as well.
-Add the beef broth, whisking all the while to keep the soup smooth, then add in the diced tomatoes.
-Bring the soup to a vigorous simmer, then cover and reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
-Turn off the heat, and add back into the pot the seared beef along with any juices, plus the peas and the parsley; allow the soup to sit for about 5 minutes to allow the beef to gently heat through and finish cooking to medium-rare.
-To serve, add about 1/2 cup cooked barley to individual bowls, ladle hot soup over top, and enjoy!
