Hamburger Barley Soup
1 10 oz.can beef consomme
4 - 6 cups water
1 16 oz. can tomato juice or canned tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 cups chopped vegetables: celery, carrots, green pepper, mushrooms,cabbage*
1-2 teaspoons Montreal steak spice
1 bay leaf
Brown hamburger in small amount of oil in frying pan, transfer to a large stock pot. Saute in small amount of oil all chopped vegetables about 20 zminutes until they begin to brown, add to stock pot. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for approx. 40 minutes until barley is tender.
Freezes well.
What is the difference between pot and pearl barley?
Barley kernels are polished, or pearled, to remove the inedible hull part of the grain. Pearl barley is polished more than the pot barley, hence its smaller size. Which kind you prefer is a matter of taste. The pearl barley cooks a bit faster than the pot barley (which takes about 40 minutes) and is more often used in foods where a smaller cooked kernel size is preferred, such as in salads and puddings.