Beef And Barley Soup With Mushrooms For The Crock Pot!

Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 (14 g) package dried wild mushrooms, such as porcini
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 ounces stewing beef, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups beef broth
• sour cream
• fresh dill, finely chopped

Recipe

• 1 in a heatproof bowl, soak dried mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve, reserving liquid. chop mushrooms finely and set aside.
• 2 in a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. add beef and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. using a slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker.
• 3 add onions, celery and carrots to pan and cook, stirring until softened. add garlic, salt, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaf and cook, stirring for 1 minute. add barley and stir until coated. stir in tomato paste, beef broth and reserved mushroom liquid and bring to a boil. transfer to slow cooker.
• 4 cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. discard bay leaf. ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream and dill.