Mom's Vegetable Beef Soup

Mom would often make this soup in order to use up some surplus vegetables.  When we were young Mom just used whole black pepper corns instead of ground.  (I don't know why, perhaps we didn't have a pepper grinder).  Nevertheless, we would have to be very careful to find any stray pepper bb's that made it into our mouths.  We would line the pepper corns around the outside of our plates like trophies and compete with each other for the most.  It was always funny when someone would miss one of the corns and bite into it.

Ingredients: 

• 2½ - 3 lb Pot Roast-cut 1 inch cubes
• 2 cups Onion-chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2-3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 64 oz vegetable or beef broth (or combination) or  64 oz V-8.
• 1 quart canned diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 2 cup celery sliced
• 1½ cup carrots sliced
• 1 - 2 bay leaf
• 1½ tsp salt  (Mom was guessing her amount she uses so start with less and add as needed) 
• black pepper to taste
• 3/4-cup medium barley
• 10-0z package frozen Peas
• Cut Parsley (garnish)

Optional ingredients

• Potatoes
• Peppers
• Green Beans 
• Cabbage
• Corn
• Leeks

Directions:

1. Brown the meat in batches on all sides 
2. Add the onions and garlic and heat until translucent 
3. Add the broth/juice
4. Add tomato, celery, carrots, bay leaf, salt and pepper
5. Add the Barley with the vegetables if using Medium barley. ( If you are using Instant barley, wait to add the barley close to the end of the cooking cycle.)
6. Cook for 45 minutes, (until the barley is done).
7. Add frozen peas before serving.
8. Sprinkle chopped parsley over each bowl of soup.