hahabogus wrote:
>
> Damsel in dis Dress > wrote in
> :
>
> > On Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:07:01 -0800, Mark Thorson >
> > wrote:
> >
> >>Dimitri wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Would you cook the barley separately than add it to the soup or cook
> it
> >>> right in the soup?
> >>
> >>Right in the soup, to thicken it up.
> >>
> >>I used to make beef barley soup all the time,
> >>before I quit eating U.S. beef.
> >>
> >>I'd cut a cheap cut of beef into small bits,
> >>pan fry them with black pepper, then add water,
> >>bay, and rinsed barley and allow to simmer
> >>covered for a few hours.
> >
> > Where's the tomato juice? The carrots, the onions, the peas ..? The
> > Worcestershire sauce? Where's all the good stuff??
>
> it screams for mushrooms too.

When I have beef barley soup, I want the pure essence
of beef flavor, unadulterated by the flavors of vegetables,
sugar, etc. Very few things complement beef flavor without
changing it. Black pepper, bay leaf, sage, and caramelized
onions are pretty much the range of flavors that complement
without reducing beef from the star flavor to a bit player.