T and I are trying to cook more at home (rather than relying on take-out, pbj, or cookies for our dinner) so I was excited when this month’s issue of Cook’s Illustrated arrived. It’s filled with lots of scrumptious looking recipes (broccoli rabe pasta with sausage, you’re next) but with the weather beginning to feel like fall, the farmhouse vegetable barley soup really grabbed my attention.
So many veggie soups are tomato-based, which is yummy, but this one was root & greens based. It has a lot of the basics (carrots, potatoes, peas) but also cabbage, leeks, turnips, porcini mushroms, and celery. The recipe was easy to follow and the timing of cooking the vegetables is perfect. You chop a few and put them in the pot to cook; while those are softening you chop a few more, and so on. That timing is also great if you’re working in a small space because it’s easy to keep things tidy while you chop/cook/wash/chop/cook/wash.
The whole thing took about an hour and 20 minutes (start to serve), so perfect for a Sunday night.
The only thing I had any trouble with was grinding the porcini mushrooms; I don’t have a spice grinder, so I used scissors to cut them in tiny pieces, then used a mortar and pestle to grind as much as possible. This worked okay; I wasn’t able to grind them all the way to powder, but it didn’t seem to harm the soup at all.
Check out the November/December 2011 issue of Cook’s Illustrated for the recipe and happy cooking!
ps. if you don’t have a subscription/online subscription to the archives of Cook’s Illustrated, get it. It’s $25 very well spent!
pps. I made the entire recipe and it yielded supper for two plus “leftovers supper” for two the next night, plus 4 pints that I froze for quick meals later. I’m a big fan of jars and these things; just move one from the freezer to the fridge the morning before you plan to serve your leftover soup.
ppps. Check out comments for actual recipe!
Ingredients
1/8ounce dried porcini mushrooms
8sprigs fresh parsley plus 3 tablespoons chopped
4sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2pounds leeks , white and light green parts sliced 1/2 inch thick and washed thoroughly
2 carrots , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs , cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/3cup dry white wine
2teaspoons soy sauce
Salt and pepper
6cups water
4cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/2cup pearl barley
1 garlic clove , peeled and smashed
1 1/2pounds Yukon Gold potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 turnip , peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2cups chopped green cabbage
1cup frozen peas
1teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
1. Grind porcini with spice grinder until they resemble fine meal, 10 to 30 seconds. Measure out 2 teaspoons porcini powder; reserve remainder for other use. Using kitchen twine, tie together parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf.
2. Melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks, carrots, celery, wine, soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and celery is softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Add water, broth, barley, porcini powder, herb bundle, and garlic; increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes.
4. Add potatoes, turnip, and cabbage; return to simmer and cook until barley, potatoes, turnip, and cabbage are tender, 18 to 20 minutes.
5. Remove pot from heat and remove herb bundle. Stir in peas, lemon juice, and chopped parsley; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing Lemon-Thyme Butter separately.