Sheldon wrote:

> Started off by browning three pounds of cut up seasoned boneless beef
> chuck in a bit of olive oil (superfluous fat trimmed and tossed out for
> birds), added three diced onions, six cloves minced garlic to sweat, then
> added like four quarts plain water to simmer while the beef started to
> become tender ('bout an hour), then added an entire stalk diced celery, a
> pound of diced carrots, a diced red pepper, a basket sliced button
> 'shrooms, and a pound of rinsed pearl barley (prepped during the initial
> simmering). Added a couple bay leaves, a couple spoons marjoram, some
> dill weed, some parsley flakes, black pepper, white pepper, msg and topped
> up with more plain water, cooked covered below simmer for like 4-5 hours
> on lowest heat, occasionally stirring, tasting, and adjusting s n' p and
> other seasonings... didn't need any stock, made it's own, a very rich
> stock. There's no reason to use stock in soups that contain a reasonably
> significant quantity meat/vegetables.

I can agree with most of that, though I would use bone-in chuck rather than
boneless, I'd use safflower or grapeseed oil instead of olive oil, and I
wouldn't add dill.

Bob