1 small onion two carrots one stalk of celery 5 oz. mushrooms 1/2 cup barley

Seasonings: salt  and pepper garlic powder paprika hot sauce (optional) beef boullion cubes  Gravy Master or soy sauce

1. Chop onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms in very small pieces.
2. Put beef shank in a small pan with enough water to cover and bring to a boil.
3. Remove beef shank and discard water.
4. Put chopped veggies in your soup pan (6-8 quart pan) and saute in olive oil for a few minutes.
5. Rinse barley in a strainer and watch for stones.
6. Add barley and beef shank to soup pan with veggies and put in about 5 cups of water.
7. Bring to boil and reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes.
8. Add a beef boullion cube or two and a little Gravy Master or soy sauce if you want it to be a little darker in color that the light brown color so far. This will also enhance the beef flavor.
9. Season to your taste with the above listed seasonings.(Add some dashes of hot sauce?)
10. Take out beef and bone and cut beef in small pieces and return to soup. Discard bone, fat and marrow. 
11. Serve hot with salad and bread for a hearty Winter's meal!

 COMMENTS: If barley absorbs too much water add more to achieve desired consistency.  When you reheat leftovers it will be even thicker! This soup can be bland so play with seasonings and flavor enhancers mentioned above.