Beef and Barley Soup with Irish Soda Bread

Beef and Barley Soup with Irish Soda Bread

Cook's notes: Warm up your evening with a flavorful bowl of Beef and Barley Soup. It's chock full of healthy vegetables. Pair the meal with an Irish-inspired round quick bread recipe made with buttermilk and currants or raisins. It's a new take on traditional Irish soda Bread. A bit of backstory;before baking the bread, a cross was traditionally cut on the top of the soda bread loaf with a knife – often said to ward off the devil to protect the household.

Ingredients:

• 1-lbs. round steak or beef chuck cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 TB. olive oil
• 1-cup each thinly sliced carrots, celery and onions
• 1/2 cup diced green pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1- 14.5 oz. can chunky tomatoes (basil, oregano, garlic)
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1–32.oz. box beef broth, fat free no MSG
• 3/4 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• 1 cup V-8 juice-low sodium 
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
• 3/4 cup fresh green beans, cut in bite sized pieces
• 1 cup quick cooking barley
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

• Place flour in zip loc bag, add meat and dredge the cubes. In a soup pot heat 1 TB. oil and brown meat, set aside.
• In same pot, add 1 TB. olive oil and sauté onions, garlic, peppers, carrots and celery stirring for 5 minutes.
• Add in rest of ingredients except barley and bay leaf. Simmer covered on low for 2 hours or until vegetables are tender.
• Add in barley and bay leaf the last hour. Be sure to remove the bay leaf before serving.
• If using a crock pot cook on high 4 hours and the last hour add in barley and bay leaf.
• To reheat soup the next day may have to add more beef broth as the barley will absorb some of the liquid.
  

Irish Soda Bread  

Recipe previously posted March 3, 2015  and makes a 8 inch loaf.

http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/search?q=+irish+soda+bread

The following link is a great resource for parents and grandparents who are looking for ideas on memorable read aloud books for their children/grandchildren. 

http://www.kcedventures.com/blog/50-memorable-read-aloud-books-for-kids