Beef & Barley Soup

A hearty beef and barley soup from The Rootitoot Cookbook. One of those "even better the second day" recipes, and it freezes beautifully.

Ingredients

1 tbsp	15 ml	oil
1.5 lb	680 g	lean ground beef or diced stew beef
1		medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup	240 ml	water
4		small carrots, chopped
3		celery stalks, chopped
2		cloves garlic, crushed
1 can		whole or diced tomatoes, with juice (14-oz can)
6 cup	1.4 l	beef broth
0.5 tsp	2.5 ml	thyme or rosemary
0.5 tsp	2.5 ml	dried basil
1		bay leaf
1 tbsp	15 ml	brown sugar
1 tsp	5 ml	salt
0.5 tsp	2.5 ml	pepper
2 tbsp	30 ml	soy sauce
1 tbsp	15 ml	Worcestershire sauce (1 - 2 Tbsp)
0.5 cup	120 ml	pearl or pot barley

Hit Sauté and add the oil to the pot, swirling to coat the bottom. When it's shimmering, add the beef and brown it well, breaking it up with a spoon. Drain off excess fat and add the onions. Continue sauteing for a couple of minutes.
Add the water and thoroughly deglaze the pan: scrape every bit of the brown off the bottom into the water. Hit Cancel and add all other ingredients.
Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to Sealing. Hit Pressure Cook (or Manual) and adjust the time using the + and - buttons to 24 minutes. When it beeps that it's done, flip the valve to Venting for a quick release. When the pin drops, open the pot.
Remove the bay leaf and taste and add salt and pepper to taste. This is one of those "even better the second day" recipes. And it freezes beautifully.