Barley Soup with Beef

I turned to the cookbook, La Cucina for tonight's meal. Barley Soup 1. Or Minestra Di Orzo 1. The cookbook numbers it's soup, for instance there are 5 Barley Soup recipes. This recipe comes from the Valle D' Aosta region.

Ingredients
4 tbsp. butter
1 leek, cut in thin strips
1 medium onion, cut in thin strips
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, grated
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 sprig thyme

Heat the butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted. Add leeks and onion and cook until the leeks begins to soften. Add the potatoes and carrot and cook for about 10 minutes, then cover with boiling water. When the mixture returns to a boil, add the barley and thyme. Let cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 1 hour, until the barley is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Up to this point you have a great vegetarian soup... but I still have the leftovers from the roast from Christmas in the freezer. I cut the meat into small pieces and added them to the soup. Voila - Beef Barley Soup!

It was delicious. I had to stop at 2 servings. Even without the beef it would have been good. Perfect for a very cold Monday night dinner