Recipe Beef and Barley Soup III

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups beef stock
3/4 cup barley
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
2 cups cubed potatoes
2 cups diced cooked beef
1 teaspoon browning sauce (optional)
1 1/2 cups chopped cabbage
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, combine the oil, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the beef stock, barley, bay leaf and thyme and simmer until barley is softened but not mushy. Add the wine, potatoes and beef.
Add the browning and seasoning sauce now if you want your soup to have more of a brown color. Simmer another 15 minutes and add the cabbage. Allow to simmer another 15 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.