Soupe au Pistou

The variations on Soupe au Pistou are as numerous as there are cooks. Here’s my take on this wonderful French classic, a cousin of Italy’s minestrone. Don’t let all the steps intimidate you. It’s an easy soup to make, and make it you should. The aroma of pistou melting into the hot soup is divine, the blend of flavors exquisite. And, it’s good for you!

The first step can be done a day ahead, so finishing the soup is a snap. For a totally vegan version, substitute veggie cheese for the Parmesan in the pistou.

SOUPE au PISTOU

Step 1:
14 cups vegetable stock or water
2 tsps. salt
4 large carrots, diced
3 medium potatoes, diced
1 large leek, white part only, chopped

Place ingredients in 8-quart stock pot. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes. If not finishing soup right away, set aside or refrigerate until 20 minutes before serving.

Step 2:
4-5 packages powdered saffron
1 slice stale white bread, crumbled
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz. can pink or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow squash. diced
8 oz. fresh haricots verts (thin French green beans), trimmed and diced
1/3 cup small pasta or spaghetti broken into 1/2-inch pieces

Return soup to boil. 15 minutes before serving, add above ingredients and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender. Add boiling broth or water if soup becomes too thick. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Pistou:
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1¼ cups extra virgin olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. fresh basil, chopped
5-6 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup Grated Parmesan Reggiano or Grated Veggie Cheese

Combine first five ingredients. Depending on your preference, add cheese of your choice, or divide the pistou and make both a Parmesan version and a Veggie version. (Note: I make extra pistou because I make both versions for our writers' group supper. Also, leftover pistou is delicious on pasta or in risotto.)

Serve the soup and pass the pistou, allowing each diner to stir a spoonful into the hot soup. Serve with crusty French bread and homemade croutons, if desired. Serves 6-8.

Savoy Cabbage Soup with Sausage and Arborio Rice

Cabbage. I never liked the horrid stuff my mother plunked into the corned beef pot. She used common cabbage, but there are dozens of cabbages suited to different purposes. Cabbage is good for you, and as we all know, that doesn't mean it has to taste (or smell) bad.

My mother-in-law whipped up delicious cabbage rolls, one of many Syrian dishes made by stuffing various vegetables with ground lamb, rice, and Middle Eastern spices. A while ago, Dawn shared a wonderful stuffed cabbage recipe here on Kitchen Excursions (Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage -Töltött Káposzta).

I first tried Savoy cabbage in Ireland. Shredded and cooked in cream and Irish bacon, it served as a bed for a roasted meat I can't recall, the cabbage was so good. Savoy cabbage is milder than common cabbage. Prettier too, with its curly leaves.

I've made this Savoy Cabbage Soup, my version of a classic Italian dish, several times. It's a perfect autumn/winter dish. Delizioso!

SAVOY CABBAGE SOUP WITH SAUSAGE AND ARBORIO RICE

32 oz. fat free beef broth
32 oz. fat free chicken broth
3 Tbs. butter
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage (4-5 sausages), casings removed
6 cups (about 1¼ lbs.) shredded Savoy cabbage
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 large bay leaf
½ cup arborio rice
Fresh chopped parsley

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1. Combine broths and bring to a simmer.

2. Melt butter in 6-8 quart pot. Add onion and sauté until soft and golden.

3. Add sausage, breaking up with wooden spoon. Cook until well browned.

4. Prepare cabbage. Remove and discard outer leaves and core, removing thick "ribs" from the larger leaves as you work. Thinly slice cabbage (I use my food processor with thickest slicing blade), add to sausage, and cook until wilted.

5. Add broth, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

6. Add rice. Cover and simmer 20 more minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add parsley and serve with crusty bread. Serves 6-8.

Leek and Potato Soup

Here is my version, and it's a darned good one, of a French classic. Leek and Potato Soup is a welcome and delicious break from heavier holiday fare, and it's fairly simple to make. The hardest part is cleaning the leeks, a task well worth the effort. Bon appetit!

LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

(Potage Parmentier)

4 medium leeks, white parts and 1 inch of green
4 Tbs. butter, divided
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
5 cups fat-free chicken broth, simmering
1 Tbs. dry dill, or 2-3 Tbs. fresh chopped dill
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
1 cup light cream

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1. Trim leeks, wash well, and roughly chop.

2. Melt 2 Tbs. of the butter in a large saucepan. Sauté leeks in butter over low heat until tender, about ten minutes.

3. Stir in potatoes. Add heated broth and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook slowly, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.




4. Let cool. Place in blender and purée until smooth. Return to saucepan.

5. Add cream, dill, white pepper, more salt if desired, and remaining butter. Reheat until simmering. Serve with crusty bread or Popovers. Serves 4-6.

Kale Chowder with Sausage and Cannellini Beans

This hearty soup, loosely based on Portugal’s Caldo Verde, is so delicious, you won’t believe it’s good for you. Kale is the star here, puréed to form a colorful base for cannellini beans and Italian sausage baked in red wine. I've made a vegetarian/vegan version omitting the sausage and substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Scrumptious either way, and leftover soup, should you have any, freezes well.

KALE CHOWDER with SAUSAGE and CANNELLINI BEANS

1½ lbs. Italian sausage (5-6 sausages)
½ cup dry red wine
¼ cup olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups chicken broth
1 large bunch kale or Swiss chard
2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prick sausages several times with sharp knife or fork. Place in a single layer in a baking pan just big enough to hold them and bake for 15 minutes. Turn and bake another 15 minutes. Drain fat and add red wine to pan. Turn sausage and bake another 15 minutes. Turn again and bake 15 minutes more. (Total baking time 1 hour.) Remove the sausages to a dish lined with paper towels and let cool.

2. Warm the broth in a sauce pan. Heat olive oil in a 6-8 quart soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté about 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and 1 tsp. salt. Cook 2 minutes. Add broth, bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

3. Remove thick stems from greens. Wash greens, roughly chop, and add to soup pot. Cover and simmer another 45 minutes, until greens are tender.

4. Purée soup in batches in blender (or use an immersion blender) and return to pot. Stir in beans. Slice sausages into rings and add to pot. Simmer soup 15-20 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serves 8.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

Delicious, colorful, and nourishing, this French-inspired soup is totally vegan, though adding a few slices of cooked sausage might better entice the carnivores. Using sweet potatoes instead of carrots gives the soup a unique flavor and adds a boost of Vitamin A.

LENTIL and SWEET POTATO SOUP

2 Tbs. olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves
1 large sweet onion
2-3 celery ribs
1 leek, white part only, well washed and roughly chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 Tbs. unbleached flour
10 cups vegetable stock
1 1/4 cups brown lentils
2-3 bay leaves
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and cubed
1/3 cup arborio rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh chopped parsley

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1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Chop vegetables in food processor and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook another 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and gradually stir in stock.

3. Pick through lentils carefully and remove anything that isn’t a lentil. Add lentils, bay leaves, and 2 tsps. salt to soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add sweet potatoes and rice. Cook another 20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes and rice are done. Discard bay leaves.

5. Pureé 2 cups of the soup in a blender or food processor and return to the pot. Heat through, add parsley, and serve with hearty bread. 4-6 filling servings.

Petite Marmite

The name Petite Marmite, a hearty French soup perfect for a chilly winter evening, refers to the pot in which the soup is cooked rather than the ingredients. Consequently, recipes for Petite Marmite abound. After making this dish for years, I’ve come up with this delicious version. Time consuming, yes, but well worth the effort—and save any leftover broth for other recipes!

PETITE MARMITE

For the Broth:
1-2 lbs. beef soup bones with meat
2-lb. piece beef, such as bottom round, trimmed of fat and tied
3 chicken breast halves, bone-in
2 quarts beef broth
1 quart chicken broth
2-3 leeks, thickly sliced and washed well
1 large onion, unpeeled and quartered (skin will color the broth)
2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
1 tsp. salt

For the Bouquet Garni:
2 medium bay leaves
4 parsley sprigs
½ tsp. whole black peppercorns
¼ tsp. whole cloves
¼ tsp. fennel seeds
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried

To Finish:
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces
1 white turnip, peeled, quartered, and sliced
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp. salt
Fresh chopped parsley

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1. Preheat oven to 450°. Brown bones for about 25 minutes. Turn and brown another 20 minutes.

2. Place bones and tied beef in a soup pot. Cover with broth and bring to a boil. Skim as necessary.

3. Add leeks, onion, celery, and salt to broth. Return to boil, then lower to simmer

4. Make a bouquet garni of bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, parsley, and thyme. Add to broth. Simmer for 2 hours. Add chicken breast halves and simmer another ½ hour.

5. Strain broth, discarding bouquet garni, bones, and vegetables. (At this point, soup may be cooled and refrigerated overnight in order to remove fat.) Remove chicken and reserve.

6. When ready to serve, defat broth. Return broth and beef to simmer. Add carrots, turnip, and potatoes and another tsp. salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer another 35 minutes.

7. Bone and skin chicken. Trim well and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add to soup after vegetables have been cooking 35 minutes. Simmer about 10 minutes to heat chicken and finish cooking vegetables. Remove pot from heat. Remove beef and slice into serving pieces.

8. To serve, place meats and vegetables in bowls and cover with hot broth. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve with crispy French bread. 4 generous servings.

Welsh Lamb and Buttermilk Soup

The leek, the national emblem of Wales, plays a delicious part in this soul-warming soup. It’s one of the best in my culinary repertoire, a perfect dish for a cold winter night.

Leeks - Courtesy of Photobucket

Don’t be put off by all the steps. It’s easy if it’s done in parts, the prep work one day, the finish work a day or so later. I prefer to do this in steps for two reasons. Cooling the broth solidifies the fat in the broth, making it easy to remove. And on the day you decide to serve the soup, it’s a cinch to put together. All you’ll need is your favorite crusty bread, or perhaps some Popovers.

Mwynhewch eich bwyd! (Bon appetit!)

WELSH LAMB and BUTTERMILK SOUP

2 lbs. lamb bones
1½-lb. piece of lean leg of lamb
2 leeks, washed and chopped
2 stalks of celery with leaves, washed and chopped
2 small purple turnips, peeled and quartered
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
10 cups water (2 ½ qts.)

4 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. flour
2 ½ cups buttermilk
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley

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1. Rinse the bones and meat and place in a soup kettle with the water. Bring slowly to a boil, skimming frequently. After the foam has subsided, add the leeks, celery, turnips, and onions. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours. Remove the bones and meat and set them aside. Strain the soup and discard the vegetables. Return the bones to the kettle with the strained broth and simmer till it is reduced to about 5 ½ cups.

2. Transfer broth and meat to separate containers and refrigerate until ready to finish soup.

3. Bring the buttermilk to room temperature. Remove the fat from the broth. Place broth in sauce pot and bring to a simmer. Dice the lamb into bite-sized pieces, trimming off fat and gristle as you go.

4. Melt butter in a soup pot. Stir in the flour and simmer over low heat until golden. Add the buttermilk slowly, stirring constantly until the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the hot lamb broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Adjust the seasonings. Stir in the reserved lamb and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add parsley, and serve. Serves 4-6

Savoy Cabbage Soup with Sausage and Arborio Rice

Cabbage. I never liked the horrid stuff my mother plunked into the corned beef pot. She used common cabbage, but there are dozens of cabbages suited to different purposes. Cabbage is good for you, and as we all know, that doesn't mean it has to taste (or smell) bad.

My mother-in-law whipped up delicious cabbage rolls, one of many Syrian dishes made by stuffing various vegetables with ground lamb, rice, and Middle Eastern spices. Last year, Dawn shared a wonderful stuffed cabbage recipe (Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage -Töltött Káposzta).

I first tried Savoy cabbage in Ireland. Shredded and cooked in cream and Irish bacon, it served as a bed for a roasted meat I can't recall, the cabbage was so good. Savoy cabbage is milder than common cabbage. Prettier too, with its curly leaves.

I've made this Savoy Cabbage Soup, my version of a classic Italian dish, several times. It's a perfect autumn/winter dish. Delizioso!

SAVOY CABBAGE SOUP WITH SAUSAGE AND ARBORIO RICE

32 oz. fat free beef broth
32 oz. fat free chicken broth
3 Tbs. butter
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage (4-5 sausages), casings removed
6 cups (about 1¼ lbs.) shredded Savoy cabbage
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 large bay leaf
½ cup arborio rice
Fresh chopped parsley

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1. Combine broths and bring to a simmer.

2. Melt butter in 6-8 quart pot. Add onion and sauté until soft and golden.

3. Add sausage, breaking up with wooden spoon. Cook until well browned.

4. Prepare cabbage. Remove and discard outer leaves and core, removing thick "ribs" from the larger leaves as you work. Thinly slice cabbage (I use my food processor with thickest slicing blade), add to sausage, and cook until wilted.

5. Add broth, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

6. Add rice. Cover and simmer 20 more minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add parsley and serve with crusty bread. Serves 6-8.

Split Pea Soup

Monday Night Writers’ Group tonight, and so I need a vegetarian/vegan dish ideal for a chilly New Hampshire evening. Change the original recipe's chicken broth to vegetable broth, omit the ham bone and optional diced ham or bacon garnish, and this French-inspired soup, my version of a classic potage, is perfect.

Split Pea Soup is one of my favorite potages santés (healthful soups), but don’t let the "healthful" fool you into thinking it isn’t delicious. My homemade vegetable broth is simmering now with the rest of the ingredients. The house smells divine, and we’ll enjoy the finished soup with crusty French bread and white wine. Here’s to another evening of inspired writing!

SPLIT PEA SOUP

2 Tbs. light olive oil                                   2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large onion, chopped                              ½ tsp. dry chervil
2 stalks celery, chopped                            2 bay leaves
2-3 carrots, diced                                       1 tsp. salt
1 large russet-type potato, diced               Additional fresh marjoram
8 cups vegetable broth                                 or parsley, chopped for garnish
1 lb. dried split green peas                         Croutons, if desired
2-3 sprigs fresh marjoram

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1. Pick over the dried peas for foreign objects and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft, then add celery and carrot and stir for 2 minutes. Add potatoes and stir another minute. Add hot broth and salt. Rinse the peas and add them to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil.

3. Place herbs and bay leaves in bouquet garni bag and add to soup. (If you can't find fresh herbs, use 1 tsp. dried)

4. Cover and simmer until peas are falling apart, about 1-1¼ hours.

5. Remove bouquet garni. Pureé a few ladlesful of soup in a blender and return to pot, or run an immersion blender briefly through the pot. Correct seasoning and serve soup with desired garnish. Makes 6-8 generous main dish servings.

Borlotti Bean and Farro Soup

Our writers’ group performed like gladiators last night after enjoying farro, the ancestor of all grains, in a tasty Tuscan soup. Farro kept the Roman legions going, and for thousands of years before that, it nourished the ancient peoples of the Mediterranean. Added to pureéd borlotti beans and vegetables and served with a little sprinkle of Parmesan Reggiano, a drizzle of truffle oil, and maybe some homemade croutons, it makes a fantastic early spring supper. I adapted this recipe from one I found on epicurious.com.

BORLOTTI BEAN and FARRO SOUP

Borlotti Beans

1 cup dried borlotti or cranberry beans
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
10 cups of vegetable or chicken broth,
          heated to simmering
4 plum tomatoes (about 1 lb.)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
12 large sage leaves

Farro

Several sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup pearled farro
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Additional chopped parsley for garnish

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1. Remove any foreign matter from beans and soak overnight, about 12 hours. (Or quick-soak beans.) Rinse well and drain.

2. Bring a pan of water to a boil. Core tomatoes. Slice small crosses into each end. Dip in boiling water until skin begins to loosen, about 90 seconds. Remove from pan and peel. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze seeds out. Chop tomatoes and reserve.

3. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until onion is soft, 10-15 minutes. Stir in broth, beans, tomatoes, parsley, and sage. Place bay leaves and thyme in spice bag and add to pot. Add 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 2-3 hours, until beans are tender.

4. Discard bouquet garni. Carefully blend soup in batches until smooth. Return to pot (I find it easier to transfer soup to a new pot). Return soup to a boil and add farro. Simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring frequently, until farro is tender (it will be slightly chewy.)

5. Serve soup with freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese (veggie cheese for vegans) and/or truffle oil, croutons, and crusty bread.
Serves 6-8.

Hot Italian Sausage Soup

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

I like soup at any time of year. This soup is hardy enough for a satisfying meal. If you don't like the heat, try sweet sausage instead.

Ingredients:

1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
48 ounces fat free, sodium reduced, chicken broth
1 can (14½ ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, chopped (with skins on)
1½ teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups medium-size, dried shell pasta
6 ounces spinach leaves, chopped
Grated aged Asiago cheese

1. Slit sausage casings and remove. Place sausage into a 6-quart pan over high heat and stir often, breaking apart sausage with a spoon. (tool hint: I have a spoon with a straight lower edge that is perfect for this task.)

2. Add carrots and onions, stirring often until onion is limp. Add chicken broth, tomatoes (with juice), Cannellini beans, garlic, basil, and pepper. Bring to boil.

3. Add pasta and zucchini. Cover, lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender to the bite.

4. Stir in spinach and cook until just wilted.

Serve with grated Asiago cheese. When reheating, add a small amount of chicken broth to thin soup. Enjoy!

Cambodian Lobster Soup

Contributed by Rick Shagoury.

This is a rather delicate, fragrant soup using very simple and vibrant ingredients. There is a considerable amount of prep work involved, but once the stock is done and the herbs and vegetables are prepared, the actual soup only takes about 10 minutes to finish. I came across this recipe recently in my pursuit of something new to do with lobster. The following is my own modified version.

Ingredients:

2 live lobsters, one pound each

1 pound ripe tomatoes (I prefer plum tomatoes)

10 cups water

10 cloves garlic

2 or 3 small Thai chiles

1 inch of fresh ginger

1 or 2 stalks of fresh lemongrass
4 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms
3 scallions
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
juice of 2 limes
freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt

First, we will need to par-boil the lobsters and make the stock. Put about 8 quarts of water in a lobster or stock pot, and add sea salt until the water is noticeably salty, and bring to a boil. Place the lobsters in the water and boil for exactly 3-1/2 minutes. Remove the lobsters with tongs and leave them to cool, but do not get rid of the water!

Score each tomato with an X on the bottom, using a paring knife (preferably serrated). Put the tomatoes into the same boiling water you used to cook the lobsters, and remove after 30-45 seconds. By this point, you should see the skins blister and peel away. Immediately put the tomatoes into ice-cold water.

Peel and quarter the tomatoes, saving the skins and seeds. Pare out the tomato "guts" and centers and save them also. Slice the tomato quarters into thin strips and reserve.

Once the lobsters have cooled enough to handle, carefully shell them. Rinse off any roe or tomalley from the tail and shells with cold water. Cut the meat into roughly 1/2 inch thick slices and reserve in the fridge. Put the shells back into the water, along with the tomato skins, seeds and guts. (Note: this method will yield a large amount of stock for future use. You could also just discard the existing water and start a new pot to make this stock, starting with the lobster shells, tomato remnants, and 10 cups of water.)

Bring the water to a boil and skim any foam off of the top. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for the time being.

Peel the ginger, saving the peels, and slice into thin julienne strips. Add the ginger peels to the stock. Peel the garlic. Crush three of the cloves and add them to the stock. Slice the remaining seven cloves very thin. Cut the lemongrass roughly into sections of about 1 inch, and add them to the stock as well. Slice the chile peppers lengthwise and add them to the stock. Simmer the stock for about 1 hour, adding salt to taste. Once you decide it's ready, strain the stock. You can make the stock a day in advance, but be sure it is reheated before you start making the soup.

Slice the mushrooms (stems removed) into 1/4 inch strips.

Slice the scallions into very thin rounds.

In a large saucepan, heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat and add the garlic. Saute for about 1 minute, then add the ginger and saute for an additional 30 seconds. Stir in the mushrooms and continue sauteing for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the hot stock (about 6-8 cups, or more if you like), tomato strips, and sugar. Simmer for about 5 minutes on medium heat, then add the lobster meat, scallions, mint and lime juice. Season with salt and/or pepper as needed, and serve immediately.

One of the downsides of this soup is that it does not reheat well, since the lobster tends to become chewy after it's refrigerated and reheated. Also, it is best to serve this soup as soon as you've added the final ingredients and stirred it just enough to integrate everything. Enjoy!

Lamb and Barley Soup

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

In celebration of Robert Burns' birthday, the famous Scottish poet, I thought I would share this thick and hearty Scottish inspired soup. Soups are wonderful comfort food especially appreciated on chilly winter evenings.

This recipe begins with the preparation of roux, a paste like thickener.

Ingredients:

1 pound medium barley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons flour
43 ounces fat free, sodium reduced, chicken broth
1 pound ground lamb
2 medium carrots, finely diced
1 medium turnip, finely diced
3 stalks celery
3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Cook barley according to package directions and set aside.

2. In a large soup pot, sauté onion in oil over medium-high heat until limp. Reduce to low-medium heat and add garlic and flour to make roux, stirring often for about 10 minutes.

3. Add chicken broth to roux and blend, then bring to a boil. Add lamb and cook for about 15 minutes.

4. Add pre-cooked barley, carrots, turnips, celery, milk, basil and pepper and simmer until vegetables are tender.

This recipe freezes well. Add a small amount of chicken broth when reheating to thin soup.