Beef and Barley Stew

What else is there to do but cook when you're stuck at home monitoring the steady flow of rainwater through your windows? I needed comfort food, badly. My first thought was - beef stew.


Check out my beef and barley stew! I started with this recipe from The Kitchn for Beef and Barley Stew with Mushrooms. The barley sounded like a hearty switch in starch than the normal potatoes. I lucked out and found a well-priced boneless chuck round roast which I cut into cubes and seared in my trusty dutch oven.


Mmmm...meat.

Mmmm...veggies!

Then I sauteed a bunch of traditional veggies (I added carrots the original recipe) and a big box of cremini mushrooms. I deglazed with some Cabernet and filled the pot with a 3 to 1 combination of beef and chicken stock (the recipe called for 2 and 2). I let it simmer for an hour, then added the barley for another 45 minutes of simmering. My final addition was a handful of leftover frozen peas at the way end because, as I told Ken, it's never bad to add something green.

Ta-da!The result was incredibly similar in thickness to Chunky Soup, which I have loved since babyhood. The meat turned out very tender and I really liked the use of barley. It's soft and chewy and truly comforting. It's like a savory oatmeal. I was glad I added carrots and would probably add more next time. But this stew did it's job - it warmed me up as the rain continued to pour.