Bone Soup

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

Growing up, just like every Monday was wash day, it was also vegetable soup day.  Mom had the ability to transform some old beef bones into a nutritious meal.  She was a miracle worker when it came to making economical nutritious meals by extending a little meat to feed 8 kids.

2 tablespoons oil

2 or 3 beef bones

Kosher salt and pepper

1 large onion (mom uses dried onions)

2 large celery stalks

3 beef bouillon cubes

2 medium carrots

3 large potatoes

7 cups water

3/4 cup pearl barley

Peel your potatoes.  Chop your onion, celery, carrots and peeled potatoes.

Heat a bit of oil in a large soup pot over high heat.  Season beef with salt and pepper to taste.  Add beef bones to pot and brown on all sides.  Transfer beef to a plate using a slotted spoon.

Reduce heat to medium. Add 2 teaspoons oil.  Add onion, carrot, celery and cook until soft, stirring occasionally.  Season with additional salt and pepper.

Return beef to pot, and add bouillon cubes and water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Add the barley.  Cook, covered, for another 30 minutes.   Uncover, and cook until beef and barley are tender, 20 minutes more.

Serve soup hot with crusty bread.

The more times you reheat this, the better it tastes.  Mom now will fix a pot of soup and eat on the pot of soup all week.  We aren’t very good at cooking just for one.

She could do the same thing with a ham bone, making the best bean soup with white beans or Lima beans, onions, carrots, salt and pepper.  With a little corn bread, the simple meal would satisfy all of us kids.  

Have a great Monday (vegetable soup day), be happy and may God bless you and yours.