Pearl barley with braised beef and vegetables

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Pearl barley55 g
• Beef stew meat140 g
• Carrots1
• Celery40 g
• Onion40 g
• Tomato paste15 g
• Beef broth500 ml
• Extra virgin olive oil10 g
• Red wine50 ml
• Bay leavesto taste
• Saltto taste

Contains: gluten, celery, sulphites,

In season: October – March

Method

1. Warm the beef stock and keep it hot. Pat the stewing beef dry with kitchen paper and cut any large pieces into cubes of about 3 cm. Peel the carrot and onion, wash the celery and dice them all.
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based casserole over high heat and brown the beef for 6–8 minutes, spacing the pieces well and not moving them too much, until well browned on all sides.
3. Pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, until you can no longer smell the alcohol. Add the onion, carrot, celery and tomato purée and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, until the vegetables soften.
4. Cover with about half the stock, add the bay leaf and a pinch of salt, put the lid on and cook over low heat for 60 minutes, until the meat is tender; check now and then that it stays covered in liquid.
5. Rinse the pearl barley, add it with the remaining stock and cook for another 35 minutes over low heat, stirring now and then and adding hot water if it dries out, until the barley is tender and the sauce thick. Remove the bay leaf, adjust the salt and serve.