Here's a "yummy"... and very hearty & tasty Beef and Pork Vegetable Soup that will warm-yer-innards during cold Winter weather when the snow is blowing and the mercury is hovering well below 32�F. ENJOY...!!!
HEARTY BEEF & PORK VEGETABLE WITH BARLEY SOUP
(makes about 5+ quarts after it's cooked down)
2 lbs Lean ground chuck (not more than 15% fat)
1 lb Ground pork or pork sausage
6 cans 14 oz. of Swanson�s or your favorite canned beef broth
3 cans 14 oz. of Swanson's or your favorite canned chicken broth
� can Water - use to rinse out all the other containers
1 Tbsp Olive oil (for saut�ing & softening the onions & garlic)
2 Tbsp Frank�s Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce (optional, but adds great flavor)
1 bottle (12 oz.) Hunts Chili Sauce
8 Large cloves of garlic, minced
2 Medium (at least baseball sized) onions, chopped medium
1 can (15 oz.) White Hominy, drained & rinsed
1 lb (16 oz.) Frozen, mixed peas & carrots, rinsed well
� lb Frozen white or yellow corn, rinsed well
2 cans (6 oz. ea.) sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed & chopped coarse
1 can each of Hunts Tomato Sauce (8 oz.) & Hunts Tomato Paste (6 oz.)
1 can (14.5 oz.) Hunt�s Diced Tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano
1� Cups Pearled barley, rinsed
1 Tbsp Freshly-ground black pepper
Salt-optional (no salt is needed due to the salt in the concentrated broth)
PREPERATION:
1) In a large pot (8 quarts or more), add the olive oil, onions & garlic over medium heat, cook to soften (about 10 minutes) stirring often. Add & brown the meat, stirring often.
2) Add all the rest of the ingredients (except the barley) adding the broth last & as much broth as you can (all of it if possible)-bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to "medium low" (a "heavy" simmer). Simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes.
3) As the liquid is concentrated & reduced in volume, add any remaining broth if all of it didn't initially fit in the pot. Also add additional water, if you like, but be careful NOT to dilute the tasty flavor of the soup. Add the barley, cook a � hour or so longer.
4) Serve with home-made (still warm from the oven) or high-quality, store-bought rye or pumpernickel bread (warmed in the oven).
NOTE: Soup�s and Chili's many flavors �marry� during storage and thus benefit in increased flavor if refrigerated or frozen overnight although this hearty soup is very tasty immediately after it is made. This soup freezes well, so make a full recipe of it & freeze it in 2-serving (1-quart) containers, reserving enough soup in the refrigerator for tomorrow�s lunch or dinner. Incidentally, the Hot Pepper Sauce adds s nice "extra" flavor, but is undetectable in 5+ quarts of soup, so please try it before leaving it out... you'll like it!
