Hamburger-Barley Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with juice
1/2 cup pearl barley, thoroughly washed
4 cups beef stock or 4 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

In a large soup pot over medium heat, let the oil get warmed.
Add the meat, onion, garlic, celery, and carrot; stir/saute for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spoon--cook until meat is no longer pink.
Add in the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.
Lower heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for about 1 hour or until vegetables and barley are tender.
Remove bay leaf and throw away.