Porcini/Cremini Mushroom Beef Barley Stew - Crock Pot

I think a slow cooker recipe should taste as good as when you cook the food on the stove top.  As much as I love the convenience of the slow cooker, I have not found many recipes that I can say - tasted as good as cooking on the stove - except for this one.  Take a few extra steps at the beginning and let the slow cooker do the rest of the work.  Saute the meat first and deglaze the pan with a nice wine, makes all the difference.

• 2 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 tsp. olive oil
• 1 small bag baby carrots
• 1 10 oz. pkg. cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1/4 oz. dried porcini mushrooms (about 7 pieces)
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 4 cups low sodium beef broth (or homemade stock)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth (or homemade stock )
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
• 2/3 cup pearl barley
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Fresh Parsley (for garnish)

Dry the beef pieces with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown beef in two batches and add to slow cooker.

Browning the meat in two batches leaves you the caramelized fond.

Add more tsp. of oil into the pan and saute the onions, garlic and carrots with a little salt.  Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the wine, scraping up the brown bits.  Simmer until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute.  Pour it all into the slow cooker.  Add the tomatoes and their juice, mushrooms, beef and chicken broth, thyme and barley and cover.  Cook 6 to 7 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.  Add fresh parsley.

When you serve this the day that it's made, it has more of a soup consistency.  The next day (which is always better) it thickens more like a stew.  Serve with crusty bread and butter. 

~From Dorothy

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