When the weather turns chill and you’re looking for something to warm you from the inside out, a good braised dish is the perfect choice.

Today was that day.  We woke this morning with snow on the ground and a bitter chill in the air. Things didn’t get better as the day went on, though it was hard to notice the cold weather with the aroma of braised beef and tomatoes filling the house all day.

I’d decided to make tomato braised beef early on in the day.  I had originally thought of serving the dish with pasta or plain old white rice, but a quick trip to the pantry changed my mind.

Sitting forlorn and lonely at the back of the shelf that holds both my rice and “enriched macaroni products” I found a small bag of brown rice and an even smaller bag of pearled barley. The combination sounded so perfect that I immediately shifted gears in that direction and I couldn’t be happier that I did.

The result was a warm and completely satisfying meal that did not leave room for dessert, but did leave more than enough leftovers for beef and barley soup tomorrow and most likely some other concoction the day after.

There really isn’t much that makes me happier than a meal that does double or triple duty and this one fits the bill perfectly.

This one is a keeper, guys.  I hope that at least one of you gives it a try and then lets us all know what you think of it in the comments.  I can’t tell you how strongly I feel that this dish should be made in every home in America when the weather is horrid.  It’s just that good.

Now let’s make some tomato braised beef, shall we!

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Yield: 12 servings

Tomato Braised Beef with Brown Rice and Barley Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes

Tomato Braised Beef with Brown Rice & Barley. A comforting, slow cooked dinner that's perfect for a chilly Autumn evening.

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Ingredients

• 1 – 3.5 to 4 lb. beef top round roast
• 1 – 15.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 – 15.5 oz. can petit diced tomatoes with juices
• approximately 1 1/2 tsp Puerto Rican adobo powder
• 4 tbsp sazon liquido or 3 tbsp. Sazon Goya
• Approximately 2 cups liquid (for braising roast)
• 2 cups brown rice
• 1 cup pearled barley
• 4.5 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place roast in an oven safe high sided roasting pan or large casserole. Mix tomatoes and Sazon in a large bowl and pour around roast. Season with salt, pepper and adobo powder. Add 1 cup additional liquid, cover tightly with foil and bake in a 275 degree oven for 6 to 7 hours, adding liquid if necessary.
2. (OR... Toss all this in a crock-pot and set it on low for 8 hours. That works just fine, too!)
3. When roast has about an hour to go, pour rice and barley into a sieve and rinse well. Add mixture to a large pot and cover with 4.5 cups water. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer tightly covered for a little over an hour, or until barley is completely cooked and has a nice bite to it.
4. To serve, place 3 serving spoons worth of rice and barley in the center of a large plate or pasta bowl. Add tomato/broth mixture to the middle of barley. Place roughly 4 oz. of pulled roast in the center of the dish. Garnish if desired.
5. Share and Enjoy!

Notes

You can easily make this dish in your Crock-Pot. Just follow the directions for the beef, add the tomatoes, sazon and liquid, pop on the cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1496Total Fat: 63gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 30gCholesterol: 621mgSodium: 425mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 213g

This dish is infinitely simple, but yet complete in flavor profile.  While the addition of some finely diced onions or celery might have made it slightly more interesting, I doubt highly that it would have made enough of a difference to be noteworthy. Suffice it to say that I think that this dish is restaurant quality as it stands and I doubt I would change anything were I to make it again.

Links to other recipes like this:

• Baked Brown Rice with Barley and Mushrooms Recipe
• Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup, from Andrea’s Recipes