I found a couple venison steaks at the bottom of the freezer that needed used up, and since it's still cold outside I decided to make soup with barley. Mom made something similar for us growing up, so I asked her for her recipe and she said she just "throws it together." I find that some of the best recipes are "throw together" recipes, anyway! For this I used a dutch oven, but you can use the stovetop or crockpot. I also cooked the barley partway separately as it absorbs a lot of liquid and thickens the soup.
Ingredients:
4 small venison steaks
1 cup each of diced onion, carrot, green beans (fresh or frozen)
1 8 oz jar of crushed tomatoes + 1 jar water
4-5 cups of chicken or beef broth
3/4 cup barley
4 T fresh minced garlic
salt/pepper to taste
2 T oregano
1 bay leaf
Instructions:
1) Season the venison with salt/pepper and brown on all sides in the dutch oven (or pan if cooking in a slow cooker). Remove and set aside
2) Add the carrots and onions, salt/pepper, and allow to soften on medium heat (about 10 minutes)
3) Add the garlic and stir 1 minute until fragrant
4) Add the tomatoes, green beans, broth, oregano, and bay leaf. Make sure to scrape up anything from the bottom of the pan/pot.
5) Add the meat then place the dutch oven in a 325 F oven for 3 hours or until the meat is tender.
6) With 1 hour to go, par-boil the barley in 4 cups of water for 30 minutes. Drain and add to the soup to finish cooking.
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