Chicory Soup with Barley and Lemon + Cookbook Review

Please See Other Recipes

This soup is adapted from a recipe in the latest vegetarian cookbook to hit my doorstep, Near & Far: Recipes Inspired by Home and Travel. With gorgeous photographs and lyrical stories, author Heidi Swanson details the places, cuisines, and ingredients that inspire the diverse collection of recipes this new book presents.
Most of the recipe ingredients are familiar and easy to find. You might have to mail order a few specialty ingredients, particularly a couple for the Japan Pantry, unless you live in a big city. As with this chicory soup, some of the recipes include dairy or eggs.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pearl barley
• 4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons plus 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion , quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 cups diced celery
• 2 teaspoons Real Salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme , or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 7 cups water (see note)
• 1 large dried ancho chile
• 1 large clove garlic , smashed
• 1 small whole preserved lemon , rinsed, seeded and minced, about 1/4 cup
• 3 cups radicchio or other chicory , roughly cut in ¼-inch by 1-inch ribbons
• Crème fraîche
• Chopped cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Rinse the barley. Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil, add the barley, and simmer 30 to 35 minutes, until the barley is tender. Drain, reserving the water to use as part of the chicory soup water.
2. While the barley cooks, start the soup. In a large pot over medium flame, heat the first 3 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onion, celery, and salt. Stir frequently for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onions and celery are soft but not browned. Add the bay leaf, thyme and 7 cups of water, including the leftover barley cooking water. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender. Stir in the cooked barley. Continue to cook an additional 10 to 20 minutes, until the starchy barley has slightly thickened the broth. Remove and discard the bay leaf and the fresh thyme sprigs. Taste for season, adding more salt if necessary.
3. ...........................

for full instruction please see : www.lettyskitchen.com

Tweet