Beef And Mushroom Barley Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
fresh ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/2 c.)
8 ounces button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 c.)
2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
6 cups low sodium beef broth
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
1/2 cup hulled barley or 1/2 cup pearl barley
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme (or 1 t. dried)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

In a big soup pot, heat 2 teaspoons oil over med-high heat.
Sprinkle the meat with the salt and pepper.
Add meat to the pot and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes total.
Transfer the meat to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pot; add in the onion and mushrooms; cook over med-high heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
Add the broth, tomatoes, browned meat, barley, and thyme and bring to a boil.
Decrease heat to low, cover, and simmer until the barley is cooked and the meat is tender, about 50 minutes.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle into soup bowls and garnish each serving with a sprinkling of parsley.