Beef barley soup

By Meisje

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 lb stew beef (chuck roast is great), cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 carrots, trimmed and diced
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms (I like cremini)
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme leaf
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
• 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups chicken broth (low-sodium store bought, or homemade) + 2 cups water

Preparation

Step 1

Set the pressure cooker to Browning. Heat the olive oil in the cooker, and add the beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink, 3-4 minutes. Turn off the cooker, and scoop out the beef, leaving any excess oil in the pot.

Turn the cooker to Sauté. To the residual oil in the pot, add the onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have given off some of their liquid, 3-4 minutes. Add the thyme, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper. Stir until the mixture is fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add the barley and liquid, and the beef. Turn off the cooker.

Lock the lid in place. Set the pressure cooker for High Pressure for 10 minutes. When the cooker beeps at the end of the cook time, use the Natural Pressure Release method, which will release the pressure in approximately 20 minutes.

When the pressure is released, pour the soup into individual serving bowls, and serve hot. Or, pack into freezer-safe containers. Let the soup cool completely before freezing.