Sort of a Barley Risotto...

Last night, I made the Roasted Beef, Mushroom and Barley Soup from the October Everyday Food magazine, but as I went along I made some additions. The idea of it was good; it just didn't seem seasoned enough to me!

I roasted the mushrooms, shallots and beef.

Then the roasted things went into a pot on top of the stove with the chicken broth, salt and pepper. I decided it needed more. I added carrots, thyme, bay, Worcestershire and balsamic vinegar. I also used a lot more barley. Partly because I didn't have quick cooking and had to prepare it separately and didn't quite know how to measure it and partly because we like it. We really liked that it thickened the broth and made it slightly creamy and became almost risotto-like.

It was very filling with all the grain, so small portions were plenty!