Pearl barley and vegetable soup (Krupnik)
Chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks or chicken wings are cheap and best for this soup. They enrich the stock and add another, more meaty, dimension to the soup - you can add them frozen! Otherwise it's a one pot wonder and you can clear out some of your frozen veggie stash too! Once cooked and the meat is taken off the bone and added back in, the soup can be frozen.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 large brown onion
- 2 large carrots
- 2 large potatoes
- 2 celery sticks
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups water
- 3/4 cup pearl barley
- 4 chicken drumsticks (6 chicken wings or 4 chicken thighs)
- 4 bay leaves
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill (fresh or frozen)
- 1/4 cup fresh cream or milk
Instructions
- Peel onion, carrots and potatoes. Finely dice onion, cut carrots and potatoes into small cubes. Finely dice celery.
- (If using, you can also add your freezer stash vegetables "bits" add green parts of the leek, fennel fronds)
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and salt. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add carrot and celery and cook for another minute, stirring.
- Add water, pearl barley, chicken, bay leaves and peppercorns. Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer very gently on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring every now and again. Add some extra water to the soup and season with extra salt if you prefer a more runny consistency.
- Remove chicken from the soup and shred, the meat, including the skin. Return to the soup.
- (Remove any frozen whole vegetable "bits" if using, such as fennel fronds, etc. Discard or chop up finely and add back to the soup)
- Serve with a tablespoon or two of fresh cream or milk stirred through the soup. Sprinkle with dill.
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