Step 1

Pre-heat a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a little olive oil and, in 2 batches so you don’t over-crowd the pot, brown the stew meat on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Set the browned meat aside.

Step 2

Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pot, sauté until tender and starting to brown– about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf and cook for another couple of minutes. Deglaze the pot by adding the beef stock and scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the cooker.

Step 3

Return the browned beef to the pot, bring the liquid to a simmer, partially cover and simmer gently for 60 minutes.

Step 4

Add the barley and continue the soup simmer for 45 minutes, or until the barley is tender.

Step 5

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf and add the parsley before serving.