Cooking like in childhood: Pearl barley soup with beef according to grandma’s recipe

Oh, how I loved grandma’s soups, they were simply delicious. Grandma especially often cooked her favorite pearl barley soup, which was very aromatic, and grandma always cut the meat into large pieces, oh, what juicy pieces they were. I remember how you run around grandma’s yard all day, and then sit down at the table and smell this wonderful aroma, and then grandma pours this delicious soup into a plate. If you remember the taste of real soup from childhood, then you will definitely like this recipe. This recipe is certainly not one of the fastest, but this is exactly the same home-cooked, soulful cuisine that makes you feel warm. There is nothing superfluous here – only simple products, a little time and a drop of patience.
Ingredients:

1 kg of beef (it is better to take a piece for stewing, for example, a shoulder or brisket)

3 tbsp. olive oil

2-3 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery (optional, but it adds more flavor)

1 large onion, chopped

3 tbsp tomato paste

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 liters chicken or beef broth (you can use a cube, but natural is better)

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (if you don’t have it, that’s okay)

1/2 tsp dried rosemary or a little fresh

1/2 tsp dried thyme or a little fresh

Salt, ground black pepper to taste

1 cup pearl barley

Greens to taste

Oh, how I loved grandma’s soups, they were simply delicious. Grandma especially often cooked her favorite pearl barley soup, which was very aromatic, and grandma always cut the meat into large pieces, oh, what juicy pieces they were. I remember how you run around grandma’s yard all day, and then sit down at the table and smell this wonderful aroma, and then grandma pours this delicious soup into a plate. If you remember the taste of real soup from childhood, then you will definitely like this recipe. This recipe is certainly not one of the fastest, but this is exactly the same home-cooked, soulful cuisine that makes you feel warm. There is nothing superfluous here – only simple products, a little time and a drop of patience. Ingredients: 1 kg of beef (it is better to take a piece for stewing, for example, a shoulder or brisket) 3 tbsp. olive oil 2-3 carrots, diced 2 stalks celery (optional, but it adds more flavor) 1 large onion, chopped 3 tbsp tomato paste 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 liters chicken or beef broth (you can use a cube, but natural is better) 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (if you don’t have it, that’s okay) 1/2 tsp dried rosemary or a little fresh 1/2 tsp dried thyme or a little fresh Salt, ground black pepper to taste 1 cup pearl barley Greens to taste
Cooking. Let’s prepare everything we need first, get ourselves in the right frame of mind and start cooking. Cut the beef into large cubes, removing excess fat. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and fry some of the meat until golden brown. Don’t add everything at once, the meat needs to be well fried, not stewed. Salt and pepper to taste. Put the fried meat on a plate. Repeat with the remaining meat, adding another spoonful of oil. Remove it from the pan again. Heat the last spoonful of oil in the same pan, add carrots, onions and celery. Fry everything for about 3 minutes until soft. Add tomato paste and garlic, stir and cook for another minute until the aroma begins to emerge. Now pour in the broth and add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, salt and pepper. Return the meat to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 45–60 minutes, until the meat is half-cooked. Add the rinsed pearl barley, cover and continue cooking for another 45–60 minutes, until the barley is soft and the meat can be easily flaked with a fork. Add fresh parsley at the end. Taste for salt and serve hot.