Warm up for winter or a rainy day with this yummy soup from the Palladino kitchen.

Beef soup bones (for fresh, call a slaughter house), wash well
Stew meat, small roast or other meat for added flavor in broth (even better if it has a bone or two)
water to cover meat and bones
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small can crushed, diced or whole tomatoes (chopped) - tomatoes with chilis are great! Or use equivalent in fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 medium to large onions, chopped or 4 Tbls. dried flakes
1 clove of garlic, crushed or 1/4 to ½ Tbls. garlic powder or granules
1 Tbls. salt or to taste
1 Tbls. parsley, chopped (fresh or dried)
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (leave out if using tomatoes with chilis)
1 large carrot, diced
1 large potato, diced
1 cup green beans or peas
½ to 3/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
½ cup pearled barley & 2 to 2-1/2 cups water (or ½ cup hulled barley & 4 cups water)

How to:

1. In a large soup pot, brown bones and meat in olive oil.

2. Add water to cover meat and bones.

3. Add one chopped onion, salt, parsley, crushed pepper and garlic.

4. Cook until meat is tender and soup has a nice flavor--usually 2 or 3 hours, depending on type of meat..

5. While meat is cooking, cook barley in the amount of water recommended in a covered pot. Depending on type of barley, cooking time will vary from ½ hour to 1 hour, etc. Set this aside covered.

6. When meat is tender, remove meat and bones, setting them aside to cool. When cooled, chopped meat into bite-sized pieces and remove meat from bones, doing likewise.

7. Add tomatoes, onions, carrots, potatoes, beans or peas, pre-cooked barley and mushrooms. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender.

8. Serve with homemade bread or rolls, lots of real organic butter and a salad.

This soup is quite versatile. You can add or subtract onion, add other types of veggies like corn or substitute rice or noodles for barley. If using rice or noodles, do not add to soup, but cook and keep separate. Place the cooked rice or noodles in the bowl and ladling soup over the top. This will keep both from becoming mushy.