Christmas Leftovers - Prime rib&barley soup for a soggy winter night. Kinda makes the week after Christmas less melancholy!

Okay - so you and your family enjoyed the prime rib roast you shared on Christmas Eve, and you have a bag full of tasty, delectable bones and scraps.   It goes against my grain to toss out anything, especially Prime Rib (duh!) 

So, yesterday's lunch here at Grandma's house was an absolutely awesome prime rib&barley soup made with the broth and meat from those bones, boiled, seasoned, and fortified with veggies and barley.  Yum!!

Here is my recipe.   Note there aren't too many exact measurements because everyone likes different amounts of the add-ins....you can add more, or less, or none of any of the items without affecting the integrity of the soup.

*leftover bones, etc. from a 7 lb prime rib roast..  It's okay to leave some fat on the meat, as it adds flavor to the broth.. (you will cool the broth and skim the fat off the top later.) 

*Celery - about two stalks - your preference diced
*Carrots - one to two - your preference diced
*onion - 1/4 to 1/2 diced
*potato, any type, diced
*Bay leaf
*Salt
*Pepper or peppercorns
*Pearl Barley (From the bulk foods section) 1/3 to 1/2 cup as per your preference
*Au jus mix or beef boullion cubes if desired.

Cover the bones with water, bring to a boil, then simmer about an hour to extract the broth.  Pour through a colander and refrigerate the liquid until it is cold enough to have separated the fat. (usually several hours.)  Skim off the solids with a spoon or spatula and discard.

(Note : I used the leftover au-jus from dinner to amend the broth and add flavor....if you need more flavor, just add another package of au jus, or some bullion cubes.-just remember that any time you add these ingredients, it significantly increases the sodium content!)

While the liquid is cooling, remove the usable meat from the bones and share one or two with your four-legged family members.  There is no need to get every little mystery piece, but there will be plenty of small chunks of good meat.  Reserve the meat in a bowl.  Expect about 4 cups of meat but your results may vary.

Place the skimmed broth into a large saucepan.  Add the meat, barley pearls, carrot, celery, potatoes, and onion.  (If your family is anti-onion, just throw a half of one onion, unsliced, into the mixture and remove it before serving.) Pop in two bay leaves, and salt and pepper cautiously.

I have also been known to toss in any leftover vegetables from dinner - this year it was a cauliflower/broccoli/carrot combo platter, a boiled red potato, and some corn.

Simmer s.l.o.w.l.y. until the barley plumps up,  one to two hours, then serve with rolls, bread, or crackers, and a salad for a nice, warm winter lunch or dinner.

This last batch made about 12 cups of soup.  Your results will vary depending on whether or not you thin out your broth,  amend your broth, or add more veggies or barley.

Enjoy!