Beef Barley Soup

6 servings

3 lbs beef soup bones (shank cross cuts)
1 Tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup chopped carrot
½ cup chopped celery with leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup medium pearl barley
9 oz frozen French-cut green beans

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Add beef, 5 cups water, salt, thyme, pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer at least one hour.

Remove meat. Cut beef from bones; cut beef into ¾ inch pieces. Skim fat from soup. Stir in beef and barley, continue cooking, covered, 50 to 60 minutes or until the beef and barley are tender.

Add green beans, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until beans are tender. Discard bay leaf.

(This recipe also works well with left over beef from roasts. We made it with left over meat we had braised with onions the day before. The thyme was a bit heavy for our palate-we’ll use a bit less next time.)