Beef Barley with Celery

I got this recipe inspiration from my first fun day at the Scottsdale Cordon Bleu's Master Chef Non-Professional Cooking Classes. It was great fun! I literally couldn't sleep the night before. I felt so COOL cooking with a Cordon Bleu chef! Sadly, when I was there I was not blogging and was not taking pictures or journaling about my food activities, so I don't have any visual to support my story. Anyway this is based on one of the recipes we did… at least how I remember it. I added the beef. 

Serves 4-6

Takes about 1 hour

 FOODABBLER FACT 

In 1895, Marthe Distel, a French journalist, founded a weekly culinary publication entitled "La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu,” which was published over the next seventy years and became the basis and reference for what is now perhaps one of the largest recipe collections in the world. 

 INGREDIENTS 

Barley - 4 cups (your choice of type - Pearl cooks faster, Hulled is better for you)

Celery - 3 cups chopped

Onion - 1 diced

Garlic - 2 cloves diced

Ground Beef - 2 cups

Bouillon Cube - 1, or use 2 cups broth

Water - 4 cups (if you use 2 cups broth use only 2 cups water)

Salt and pepper to taste

 INSTRUCTIONS 

Wash your barley

Add your broth/bouillon cube and water

Add your celery (I had already diced celery frozen in my freezer so yay for me)

 NOTE 

I am not a fan of celery so I like it a bit over cooked and dissolved in my food. If you enjoy celery, wait until your barley is almost cooked and then add your celery so that it keeps more of its texture and form. 

Onions and garlic

Ground beef (also something I usually have pre-fried and put in the freezer for last min meals)

Let it simmer and 

ENJOY!