Ingredients
Barley, Mushroom, Bean and Leek Soup
1½ cup pearl barley
1½ cup navy beans (small white beans or any small beans you like)
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 bay leaf
1 leek chopped
3 medium carrots diced
3 stalks of celery diced
10-15 mushrooms chopped
2 large ripe tomatoes peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 liters (2 quarts) parev chicken soup stock
Salt and pepper to taste
How to do it
1. Rinse the beans and barley and in a large pot, soak the beans and barley overnight in water (make sure you have at least 3 times the amount of water than the beans and barley. Remove any beans that have floated to the top.).
2. Drain the water and add more cold water – about 3 times the amount of water than the beans and barley. Add the garlic and bay leaf and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until both the beans and the barley are soft. (Most of the water will cook away and you’ll be left with a very porridgey mixture – don’t worry.)
2. Add the leeks, carrots, mushrooms, parsley and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Then add the tomato, parsley and salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another 15 minutes.
This will make a nice big pot of soup that will easily feed 10. If the soup is too heavy, you can dilute it with some additional chicken stock.
