Beef and Barley Soup

The nights are short and it's cold outside; a perfect time for beef and barley soup! This recipe is definitely going into the make a meal, share a meal Wednesday rotation, and if you splurge on one nice steak, it takes dinner up a notch. Serve this with a crusty bread, and you have a great, satisfying meal.

Beef & Barley Soup

1 pound stew beef

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 cups water

1 tablespoon beef base

14 ounce can stewed tomatoes

1 cup each celery, onion & carrots, diced

1/2 cup barley

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup red wine

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Season flour with salt and pepper. Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil; allow to get hot. Dredge cubed steak bits into flour and sear, making sure each side is browned. Add 8 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add beef base, garlic, wine and bay leaf and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Add vegetables and simmer another 20 minutes. Add barley and simmer until soft. Serve with warm, crusty bread.