SAVORY WAY: Bean, Corn, And Barley Soup

[Guest guest]

This recipe looks yummy. Now that soup season is here I will probably make

one or two every weekend. Yesterday I made the black bean soup from Savory

Way which I posted. It is probably the best flavored bb soup I've ever

made. I did use a whole chili in it.

 

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Bean, Corn, And Barley Soup

 

Recipe By : The Savory Way by Deborah Madison, page 102

Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Beans And Legumes Grains And Cereals

Soups And Stews Vegetables

Madison: Savory Way

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

***THE SOUP***

1 cup Romano or red kidney beans

soaked 6 hours or overnight

1 cup barley

soaked 6 hours or overnight

2 1/2 quarts water

1 tablespoon virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove -- minced

salt

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

OR 1 cup dried - cooked until tender -- about 3 hours

***THE PARSLEY SAUCE***

1 garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon peppercorns

1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

 

Makes 2 1/2 quarts, serving 6 to 8

 

In older times this kind of sustaining soup would have been eaten when

little or no fresh foods were available. It's extremely simple-beans,

barley, and corn boiled in water, served with parsley, pepper, and oil

pounded in a mortar. Without the presence of other strong tastes, the soft

and subtle flavor of the grains is clearly noticeable. This soup is deeply

nourishing - a good one to come home to. Although the grains must be

soaked the night or day before, assembling the soup is effortless, and it

takes about an hour to cook.

 

A similar ancient Italian soup, mis-ciua, made of chick-peas, white beans,

and wheat, is still served in country restaurants around La Spezia. The

ingredients are soaked and cooked separately and then mixed together

(mis-ciua is a dialect word for mixture) and finished with a spoonful of

Tuscan olive oil. There's also a soup called corn, a biblical term

indicating a mixture of lentils, barley, millet, and wheat, all seasoned

with cumin. All these soups have a rather prehistoric feel to them.

 

Dried corn is hard to find and requires many hours of cooking. Although I

prefer its taste and texture, frozen corn is easier to come by for most

people and requires less fussing. If you can find dried corn, boil it

separately until it softens and add it to the cooked beans and barley.

 

This soup can easily become the mainstay of a winter diet. You could make

a big pot on the weekend and eat it several times during the week. A salad

of cooked herbs or fresh bitter greens and a piece of cheese, like ricotta

salata, would make a complete meal.

 

Drain the beans and barley. Put them in a soup pot with the water, olive

oil, and garlic and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the

surface. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30

minutes. Add salt to taste and continue cooking until the beans and barley

are tender. Add the corn and cook for 10 more minutes. Make the parsley

sauce and stir it into the soup just before serving.

 

THE PARSLEY SAUCE: Pound the garlic and peppercorns together in a mortar,

When they are well broken up, add the parsley and the oil. Work together

into a rough paste.

 

 

 

 

 

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