I found this boomerang at an estate sale. This is not just any boomerang, it is a piece of hand-painted aboriginal art:
One definition of boomerang offered by Urban Dictionary is a “frisbee for a kid with no friends.” I had a boomerang once, but forgot how to throw it — then it came back to me (groan). Fortunately, this boomerang came with directions:
Too much math for me
The boomerang is loosely based on the concept that what goes around comes around. This is also the concept on which leftovers are based, and which has inspired this recipe for Beef and Barley Soup.
Recently, the New York Times ran an article about a dish known as Mississippi Roast “one of the most popular recipes on the web.” The recipe calls for a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix and a packet of McCormick Au Jus Gravy Mix, which you sprinkle over the chuck roast you have placed in your slow cooker, and top with a stick of butter and a few peperoncini.
Cook on low for 8 hours, and voila:
The roast was just fine, and could not have been easier, but the packets are a deal-breaker for a lot of folks — you know, chemicals, sodium, etc. — the whole “factory-to-table” thing. I’d have to admit that I prefer my own recipe for pot roast, with seared meat, tomato paste, red wine, herbs, and veggies. Anyway, we had a lot of leftovers, and there’s only so many nights in a row you can eat the same meal (our limit being two), so I had to repurpose the leftover roast. Beef and Barley Soup is one of our favorite hearty soups. Whenever we have a roast or steak, we always make sure to save a piece in order to make the soup, so having leftover Mississippi Roast was actually something we were quite happy about.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 cup chopped leftover beef (roast beef, pot roast, etc.)
- ½ cup pearled barley
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced or quartered
- Pinch of dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, and saute until vegetables are tender and onion is translucent. Add beef, barley, broth, water, mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for approximately 1 hour, until barley is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- If necessary, thin soup with additional beef broth.
Soup’s on!
