An Original Beef & Barley Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb (or more) of 2 inch cubed, stew beef
½ cup flour
1 tsp garlic powder, some salt & pepper

1 chopped onion
1 chopped garlic clove
3 carrots, peeled & sliced into coins
3 celery stalks, sliced
Approx ¾ cup cabbage or brussel sprouts, finely shredded
Water or beef stock
1 small can V-8 juice (optional)
1 tblsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
¼ cup Sherry (real sherry, NOT cooking sherry!)
¼ cup Marsala wine (real Marsala NOT cooking wine!)
1 teaspoon of Gravy Master (optional for a browner color)
Some dried or fresh rosemary leaves wrapped in cheesecloth or a tea infuser.
2 medium potatoes OR ½ cup pearl barley, rinsed.

Cooking Instructions

1. Put flour into a gallon sized zip top bag with garlic powder, salt and pepper & shake to mix. Drop pieces of cubed beef into the flour and shake to cover all sides. (The meat should be fairly dry before going into the bag.) With hand in bag, pick up a handful of meat and shake off excess flour inside the bag.

2. In a heavy-bottomed stew pot, add some olive oil to coat bottom of pan and heat to medium-high. Drop dredged beef into pan and brown on all sides. Adjust heat if necessary to avoid smoking and burning of flour. Dont over-crowd the pan or stack the beef on top of each other. Brown in batches if necessary. Add more oil if necessary. When browned, remove beef from pan. Add onions and cook for a few minutes (adding more olive oil if needed). Cook until translucent.
Add beef back into pan.

3. Add enough water or beef stock (or both) to cover the meat. (Approximately 5 cups). Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Tie bag of cheesecloth or tea infuser w/ rosemary in it to edge of pan for ease of retrieval before serving.

3. Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT FOR THE POTATOES & BARLEY.

4. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low for several hours (the longer the better, but a minimum of one hour). Before adding barley or potatoes, remove rosemary sachet.

5. IF USING BARLEY: in the last 45 minutes before serving, increase the heat to a gentle boil and add the rinsed barley. Stir frequently.

6. IF USING POTATOES: in the last 15 minutes before serving, increase the heat to a gentle boil and add the potatoes until tender.

7. If you want a thicker stew: mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1/3 cup of COLD water in a small bowl. Stir well and add a little at a time to BOILING soup until desired consistency is obtained. Lower heat and cook for a few minutes more before serving.