The Second Best Soup in My House

The first - GERMAN SAUSAGE SOUP, but that is not what's cooking in my house tonight.  My husband's Bubbie used to make the most fabulous barley soup in the world.  It was thick and flavorful.  Her trick - blend the vegetables so the boys didn't know what they were eating.  So I often make this soup and put everything I can think of in it.  Today I'm making Beef Barley Soup.  I'm using the left over roast & trimmings from Sunday's Pot Roast dinner.

BEEF BARLEY SOUP

It's different every time - which is the beauty of it.  Here's what I did tonight.  I took the left over pot roast and chopped it up and set it aside.  I sauteed an onion & a garlic clove in the soup pan with a little olive oil.  Then poured the left over liquid, carrots and onions from the pot roast and added a little water.  I then chopped up some celery, some fresh green beans & threw in a handful of spinach for a little extra anti-oxidants.  Cook till all the vegetables are tender.  Get out the boat motor hand-blender and blend until smooth.  Add the left over pot roast and barley (however much it takes to make a hearty soup) and cook till barley is tender.  Serve with a warm loaf of fresh bread.

It's truly awesome.

Now sometimes I add potatoes, turnips, leeks, pinto beans if I don't have any beef.  Mushrooms, a can of tomatoes, broccoli anything you have on hand.  Make it up as you go along - that is the beauty of it.  And the best part, your kids (and husbands) are eating all these healthy vegetables and they don't know it.

Move over Wolfgang Puck - Dijea's here.

OK so on my birthday my fabulous co-workers got me a gift certificate to Central Market and today I spent it. I bought beautiful 1 1/2 inch filets, fresh herbs, mushrooms, green beans, other stuff, a couple of bottles of red wine, made from organic grapes, and an angel food cake and tons of strawberries, black berries & raspberries for dessert.

I took those beautiful $35/lb filets and slathered them with a paste I made from fresh organic chives, fresh garlic and olive oil and I let that sit under plastic wrap for about 30 minutes. When you grill them they get a nice blackened herb crust that is oh so good. I made garlic mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. I also marinated some mushrooms in red wine and sauteed them for the steak. I poured myself a glass of wine and we set down to eat.

YUM! It was almost orgasmic. It seems that lately I really don't enjoy cooking because it seems that I am no longer creative enough to make something different. But today I felt inspired and it was absolutely worth every extra calorie I ate. I highly recommend you to do that soon.