Posted on 02/22/2018 4:20:07 PM PST by Jamestown1630
When I was young and single, I rented part of an older lady’s house for many years. She had children who had become vegetarians, and was always hunting for something meatless but special to make for holidays. One Christmas she made this Dilled Vegetable-Barley Soup, from Molly Katzen’s ‘Enchanted Broccoli Forest’; it became one of my favorite recipes, and Katzen’s book one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. If you aren’t averse to the wine, add it, as it really brightens the soup; but the recipe is still very good without it. I’ve never used the fennel in this recipe, but you may want to include it. (In my experience, this soup freezes well.)
Dilled Vegetable-Barley Soup
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
5 1/2 cups water, divided, more if needed
2 to 3 tablespoons butter or canola oil
2 cups minced onions
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
1 bay leaf
2 medium-size carrots, diced
1 medium-size rib celery, minced
1 pound mushrooms, chopped
4 cups water or broth
6 tablespoons dry white wine, optional
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried dillweed
1/2 cup minced fresh fennel, optional
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional toppings: Sour cream or yogurt; toasted sunflower seeds; minced fresh parsley or chives or combination
Place the barley and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook about 30 to 40 minutes, until tender.
Melt the butter or heat the oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, salt and bay leaf and cook over medium heat until the onions begin to soften, for 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the carrots, celery and mushrooms, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add 4 cups water, the wine if desired, lemon juice and cooked barley. Lower the heat to a quiet simmer. Cover and let the mixture bubble peacefully for about 30 minutes. The soup will thicken -- you might want to add more water.
Shortly before serving, stir in the dill, fennel if desired, garlic and black pepper. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Serve hot with all, some or none of the optional toppings.
___________________________________________
While thinking about barley soup, I happened to find ‘The Dragon’s Kitchen’, the website of a blogger from Ontario, who made a project of re-creating recipes from the menu of the Titanic. They include a ‘cream of barley soup’ which looks very comforting:
http://www.thedragonskitchen.com/2012/01/cream-of-barley-soup.html
And here’s a link to the page about the ‘Titanic Project’:
http://www.thedragonskitchen.com/search/label/Titanic%20Project
-JT
Clam Chowder for Lactose Intolerant.
Fine chop some carrots, onions and celery for fresh aromatics. Sauté in pan with a drop of oil — soften only. Meanwhile microwave four slices of bacon, crispy, chop and set aside.
Add two bottles of clam juice to the aromatics. Use two cans diced potatoes, two cans of chopped clams, two cans whole baby clams, and one can condensed creme of celery soup to thicken. Add 8 ounces lactaid whole milk. If too thick, thin with four ounces chicken broth (optional).
Fine chop some green onions, serve soup with green onions, chopped bacon, grated cheese (optional) and oyster crackers.
If sensitivity still shown, eliminate the condensed creme of celery soup and substitute some powdered gelatin prepared in a third a cup of water for a thickening agent.
Sometimes I add stuff based upon my mood.
Egg, Spinach & Tomato Loaf
Layer on sheetpan: hollowed out baguette half; tomato slices, bit salt; cooked or raw spinach
leaves. Then crack eggs down length of baguette. S/p. Broil 15-20 min (eggs cooked to your
liking). Remove and plate. Slice the baguette into pieces.
Speaking of Barley:
Barley Pop Polka
Last night I passed the water hole, and I wasn’t gonna stop.
I always get my nose stuck in a glass of barley pop,
but then I thought well just one drink surely would taste fine,
so all I had was just one drink, just one at a time.
(Chorus)
Barley pop, barley pop that naughty, naughty water.
Barley pop can make a man do things he hadn’t oughter.
The more you drink, the more you think you’re a fighter and a lover.
Barley pop that awful stuff, I guess I’ll have another.
I think my name is Romeo when I fall of the wagon.
Last night I chased a jukebox Juliet till I was dragging.
At closing time I tried to get her cornered in my car.
Before I could, she left me with the guy behind the bar.
(Chorus)
(You may have to be a Midwesterner to appreciate the BEAUTY of this Polka, though, LOL!)
The soup I’m making for us, today....creatively using up leftovers from earlier in the week.
Diana’s Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
3.5 Cups Chicken or Veggie Stock (Total of 5.5 cups, see below)
1 cup uncooked Wild Rice, rinsed & drained
3 ribs chopped celery (some leafy tops, too!)
1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 can chicken (12.5 oz, or about 1.5 cups leftover chicken)
1 4 oz. can mushrooms (I like the Porta Bella from PA Dutch)
2 cans Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 more cups Chicken or Veggie Stock
In a 4-5 quart heavy stock pot with lid, combine 3.5 cups stock, 1 cup uncooked wild rice, the celery and the onion. Bring to a boil. Cover & simmer for 50 minutes until rice is tender.
Add the chicken, mushrooms, cans of soup and 2 more cups of stock. Blend and cook uncovered for 10 minutes or so to heat through.
Yum! I would LOVE that for breakfast in the summertime when I have fresh tomatoes! Saving! Thanks!
We have the enchanted Broccoli Forest cookbook too from awy back when. Also the Moosewood cookbook.
Barley is a great grain for strength. Pops always threw a handful of barley in his chili and I do the same.
Looks delicious! Glad Lady Bender is on the mend. Maybe we’ll get to see one of her magazine quality pies this summer.
That looks like a keeper! You know I like easy. LOL
That recipe is Easy...with a capital E.
Any leftover pizza dough hanging around?
You probably already planned to use that...instead of buying the canned bread sticks.
Right?
I do make a first rate pizza dough from scratch. However I think I’ll just buy a tube of breadsticks. Gettin’ old.....
Amish Potato Cheddar Chowder
Boil 10-12 min 2 c ea water, diced potatoes, 1/2 c ea diced carrots/celery, 1/4 c chp onion, s/p.
Stir in the Cheddar White Sauce recipe. Heat thru.
SERVE scattered w/ cubed baked ham or cooked bacon crumbles.
CHEDDAR WHITE SAUCE stir smooth/bubble a min 1/4 c ea melted butter/flour.
Slowly stir in 2 c milk, then cook/thicken. Add 2 c grated Cheddar; stir/melt.
After Thanksgiving, Hubby always makes stock from the turkey carcass. Then I make turkey barley soup with some of the stock and the meat we get from the carcass. SO yummy.
There’s a new edition of EBF, but I haven’t had time to go through and see how much is different.
That’s great ;-)
I love those books. I had one when it came out, and found the other in the thrift store. Goodwill and places like that are great for finding older cookbooks that you’ve lost.
Me too. I had the first and second books, gave them away band bought them again.
She had a great artichoke appetizer that I loved. Made in a cast iron pan, heating up the artichoke, onions, etc ... the pouring over the whipped eggs and cheddar cheese. Pop in the over to lightly brown the top. Cut into squares to serve. So easy. I still make it. Also good soup recipes.
STUFFED ITALIAN BREAD LOAF
Cube top of Italian bread loaf (not all the way through)--x'ing top as pictured.
Drizzle butter-onion garlic mixture carefully into X's.
Now add 12 oz grated white Cheddar/Jack cheeses.
Foil entire loaf, sealing well; bake 350 deg 15-20 min.
Unwrap. Bake 10 min (cheese is melted and gooey).
BUTTER ONION DRIZZLE Mix stick melted butter, 1/8 c olive oil, 3 tsp
minced onion, couple grated gar/cloves, tbl dijon, tbl poppy seeds, 3 tsp chp parsley.
Of course I have had tacos (w/corn torillas) - though I personally prefer the flour ones. I’ve seen “hominy” in cans and that is what I haven’t tried.
Cool! I figured nobody had ever heard of them. I love the Pasta con Funghi. Of course, the Macaroni and Cheese, with the decadent Bechamel Sauce. I do keep my eyes open for them in used book stores and thrift shops. Someday...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.