Beef Barley And Butternut Squash Stew With Blue Cheese Croutons Recipes

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Season beef with salt and cook until pieces are browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.
• To the skillet, add remaining tablespoon oil, the garlic, and thyme and saute until fragrant, 1 minute. Add 2 cups broth and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Transfer mixture to slow cooker.
• Add potatoes, squash, barley, 2 cups water, and remaining 2 cups broth to slow cooker, cover, and cook on high until meat is very tender, 4 hours (or 8 hours on low). Using two forks, shred beef. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread alongside.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper; sprinkle over beef and toss to coat. In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add beef; brown evenly. Remove from the pan., In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushroom, onion and fennel; cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add stock and water, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Return beef to pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, 40-60 minutes., Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°. Place the squash, potato and carrots on a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; drizzle with remaining oil and toss to coat. Bake until vegetables are almost tender, 20-25 minutes, stirring twice, . , Add barley, thyme, nutmeg and roasted vegetables to soup; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 10-12 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley. Freeze option: Freeze cooled soup in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth or water if necessary.