Beef Barley Vegetable Stew (Crock Pot Version)

The weather has turned cold, and the mountains are already getting their first dusting of snow - so that means it's time to pull out the crock pot and start turning out some satisfying tummy warming stews.  This dish doesn't really have a recipe, but I'm pretty sure I can show you how to give your family a pot of beef barley vegetable stew that they will come back wanting seconds on, and it won't take much of your time or money to prepare.

First, plug in the crock pot and turn it on high so that it's warmed up and ready to go when you put the meat and vegetables in to cook.

 For this recipe you will need:
1 pound of beef chuck, or stew meat
2 stalks of celery
2 carrots
2 medium onions
2 medium potatoes
2 medium tomatoes
2 roasted Hatch chilies (optional)
2 - 3 cloves garlic (large sized)
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 can (6.5 oz) sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 Tabs. flour
olive oil
salt / pepper
cumin / dried basil flakes / dried rosemary /
dried oregano / dried thyme /

 In a small bowl combine:
2 Tabs. flour
1 teas. each of  salt / pepper / cumin / oregano /
1 teas each of basil flakes / rosemary / thyme

Cut the meat into 1/2 inch pieces

Cut the carrots, celery, onions and potatoes into 3/4 inch - 1 inch sizes, (you want the vegetables to hold up during the cooking process - so they need to be rather large).

Peel, but don't chop the garlic very much.

Coat the meat with the flour mixture.

Into the hot crock pot, pour 1 3/4 cups beef broth, (you will still have 1/4 cup leftover), also add the 2 cups water and your vegetables.

In a pot, over medium high heat, heat 2 Tabs olive oil and brown the meat chunks.

Once the meat is browned, add the remaining 1/4 cup of beef broth and stir up the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.  (Boy does this smell wonderful!!).  It's already starting to form a nice gravy base.

Now pour the meat and the gravy base into the crock pot with the vegetables and the beef broth.

Add more of the herbs -  1 Tabs each of basil / oregano / thyme / rosemary, 1 teas each of salt / pepper / cumin.

Stir everything.

Put the lid on the crock pot, and let it cook for 3 1/2 - 4 hours.

 I like to add chopped roasted Hatch chilies that I picked up a couple months ago, and have in my freezer.  This is an optional thing - it doesn't add heat, only another depth of flavor.

If you don't have roasted Hatch chilies, you can also buy canned green chilies at the supermarket, (I think this small can cost me about 75 cents).  Of course the roasted Hatch chilies have so much more flavor, so next year keep your eyes open and pick up a bag when you see them and you can pop them in the freezer to use during the winter.

OK, my stew has been cooking for 3 1/2  hours, the carrots and potatoes are just starting to soften, so now I'm adding my rough chopped tomatoes, the can of mushrooms, and chopped chilies. At this point if your were just making beef stew you would only need to cook the vegetables till they were tender.  BUT, we are also adding 1/2 cup of pearl barley to make it a little more heartier.   Give it a stir and put the lid back on for another hour.  The wonderful smell is hard to resist, (I want a small bowl of this now.)

OK, it's been 1 hour and everything is cooked, the barley is plump, nice and soft.  The meat is well cooked and the vegetables are also cooked through.  We are ready to serve our dinner.  Give it one final taste for seasoning.  Does it need a little more salt and pepper??

Tonight, we're having a tossed salad, dinner rolls, and beef barley vegetable stew.  And I didn't have to stand over the stove all day.  I was able to throw everything in the crock pot, go out on some errands and when I came home I just added the last of the ingredients and we now have a large pot of stew that will feed 6 - 8 people easily for very little money.  And this tastes even better the next day, for lunch.

You can also substitute pork for the beef, (or chicken), depending on your family's taste and what you happen to have on hand.  Now go make a big pot of beef barley vegetable stew and warm your family's tummy.

ENJOY!!