Beef and barley stew

 It's been so crazy, we had a snowstorm (last week of January) and for some reason that just goes hand in hand with power outages around here. This is beef and barley stew made with leftovers. I had a pot roast with carrots, onion, potatoes and fennel. It was so good. I used a eye chuck roast. Put everything in the crock pot with seasoned salt. Turned it on and left it all day. That night our power went out.  I was glad I'd have leftovers to heat up. I put perishables outside in the snow in coolers to keep the food cool. It was so cold in the house though, so I wanted to cook something to warm us and the house up. Thank God for a gas stove! This was so good. I told Pixie it was a kind of rice, she ate it right up.

If you think ahead you can soak the barley in cold water overnight, 2:1 ratio water:barley. I had some turkey consume in the freezer so I used that and a carton of stock from the pantry plus water to make 10 cups of liquid total.

GPAC Beef and Barley Stew
8-10 cups stock/broth

1/2 cup uncooked barley

leftover pot roast- beef, potatoes, carrots and fennel, including any juices/drippings 

2 stalks of celery cut into bite sized pieces

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf

1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste (optional)

 Garnish- parsley

Rinse the barley and pick over to remove any debris.  Bring stock/broth to a boil in a dutch oven or soup pot. Add the barley. Bring back up to a boil. Cover the pot and turn the heat down to a simmer. 

If the barley was not soaked simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add the celery and cook for 15-20 minutes more or until the barley is tender. Stir in spices, seasonings, shredded beef, vegetables and pot roast juices. Heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

If the barley was soaked overnight add celery, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce to the pot. Simmer and cook 15-20 minutes until the barley is tender. Stir in shredded beef, vegetables and pot roast juices- cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.