Beef and Barley Hotpot is a one pot wonder which is incredibly versatile and what begins life as a hearty stew will happily become a lighter soup or broth the following day for lunch. Just add some more stock, a few extra vegetables and serve with toast and grated cheese. This casserole is quick to put together, all the magic happens whilst it slowly bubbles away on the stove.
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 2 – 3 hours
Ingredients
- 600g of stewing beef cubed
- 100g of barley
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion or 2 shallots chopped into large chunks
- ½ a leek chopped into chunks
- 3-4 garlic cloves crushed or roughly chopped
- 1 stick of celery chopped into chunks
- 200g sweet potatoes chopped into chunks
- 200g parsnip chopped into chunks
- 200g swede peeled and chopped into chunks
- ½ a can of chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp of tomato puree
- Ground pepper to taste
- Several bay leaves, dried or fresh
- Several sprigs of fresh rosemary or a tsp of dried
- 1-2 tsp of dried mixed herbs
- A sprig of fresh thyme or tsp of dried
- 2 litres of vegetable, beef or chicken stock
- A handful of chopped fresh parsley
How to make Beef and Barley Hotpot
1. Sautee the beef and onions in a large pan with the olive oil.
2. When the beef is nicely browned add the leek, garlic, celery, sweet potatoes, parsnip and swede.
3. Continue to sautee for a further few minutes until the vegetables are beginning to soften and colour.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, the stock, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, mixed herbs and barley.
5. Bring to the boil.
6. Remove with a ‘holey” spoon the worst of any foam that rises to the surface.
7. Give it a good stir, turn the heat down low, cover with a lid.
8. Leave it to simmer for a minimum of 1.5 hours. The longer it cooks the more the flavours will develop and intensify and the more meltingly tender the beef will become. Test a piece of beef before removing it from the heat, if it’s still a bit chewy return it to the heat for another half an hour.
9. Stir occasionally to prevent the barley sticking to the bottom of the pan.
10. When the beef is tender, remove from the heat, stir through the fresh parsley and serve.
This dish can be left cooking in a low oven or slow cooker for the day, the longer it cooks the tastier it gets and it's even better on the second day.
Recipe provided by www.babybites.co.uk