Hearty Beef and Barley Stew

Once in a while I am taken back by a recipe...mostly because I planned ahead to make it but didn't read the recipe before. This was one of those recipes.

Turned out this was what I like to call a "round two" meal. Meaning you're using leftover meat or something to make another dish.  Had I read the recipe I would have known I needed to make a pot roast before making this stew. 

Regardless I made the stew. I adjusted it to be what I had purchased and left out all the parts about leftovers.  I've put the recipe how it appears in the cookbook and have also added the pot roast recipe this one builds from.  You'll see my notes here and there with my adjustments.

This was also the first time I've ever used barley. That was interesting. My first attempt I didn't pay attention and all the water evaporated and I had some burned barley. Luckily I had enough to make another batch.

Hearty Beef and Barley Stew
Serves 2

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1/4 oz dried porcini mushrooms, re hydrated in 1/2 c water, then minced, re hydrating liquid strained and reserved. [Jenn note: I'm not a fan of porcini mushrooms so I used regular old button mushrooms]
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1/8 tsp dried thyme
• 2 1/4 c water [Jenn Note: I used just 2 cups of water and 2 cups beef broth because I didn't have the pot roast sauce.]
• 1 c pot roast sauce (see pot roast recipe below) [Jenn note: didn't use this see note above.]
• 3/4 c pot roast garnish (see pot roast recipe below)[Jenn note: didn't use this since the garnish wasn't that interesting to me.]
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 c instant barley (instant barley is also called quick barley)
• 10 oz cooked pot roast (see pot roast recipe below) [Jenn note: used 1 lb stew meat.]
• 1 T chopped fresh parsley

Combine oil, mushrooms, tomato paste and thyme in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the reserved porcini liquid, water, pot roast sauce, pot roast garnish, carrots and barley. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the carrots and barley are tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the pot roast and cook until heated through. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Jenn's way:
I browned my meat first. Set it aside and then followed the mushrooms, carrots, tomato paste, and thyme from above. I deglazed with a cup of wine (the pot roast recipe calls for wine so I figured I'd add that flavor in). Once that had reduced, I put the meat back in and my beef broth and water. I let it simmer for about 30 minutes give or take.

I also couldn't find quick barley so had to cook my barley separately. I added it once it was cooked.

French Style Pot Roast Recipe
Serves 2

1 boneless chuck eye roast, pulled apart into 2 pieces, trimmed (about 3.5 to 4 lbs)

• Salt and pepper
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped medium
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 T flour
• 1 bottle dry red wine
• 2/3 c low sodium chicken broth
• 2/3 c low sodium beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 1/2 inch thick

Garnish

• 2 c frozen pearl onions
• 1/2 c water
• 3 T butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 oz white mushrooms, stems trimmed and halved
• 1 T chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 300 F. Pat the roast dry and season with salt and pepper. Tie kitchen twine around each piece of meat so it won't fall apart. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the meat on all sides, reduce heat if pot starts to scorch.

Remove meat and set aside.

Pour off all the fat left in the pot, add the bacon and cook over medium-high heat until browned and crisp. About 10 minutes.  Stir in the onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook until softened 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme, cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Slowly whisk in the wine, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. It should reduce to about 2 1/2 cups of liquid.

Stir in the broths and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Nestle the meat back in, along with any accumulated juices, and return to a simmer. Cover and transfer to oven.  cook for 2 hours, flipping the meat halfway through cooking.

Stir in the carrots and continue to cook in the oven, covered until the meat is tender for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, flipping the meat once.

For the garnish: meanwhile combine the frozen pearl onions, water, butter, sugar and salt in a 12 inch nonstick skillet.  Cover and cook over medium high heat stirring often until onions are fully thawed and tender, about 10 minutes.  Uncover, and cook until the liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes.  Stir in mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are dark brown and well glazed, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the meat to a carving board and tent loosely with foil. Transfer the carrots to a bowl and set aside. Using a wide spoon, skim off any fat that rises to the surface of the sauce.  Bring to a simmer over med-high heat and cook until thickened and reduced to 3 cups, 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove twine from meat, cut the meat against the grain into 1/4 inch slices and transfer to a serving platter. Stir the carrots and garnish into the sauce and rewarm over medium heat. Spoon the sauce and vegetables over the meat, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Phew! That's a lot of work.