I must confess. I have not been nourishing my family the way I wish I were.
When I do cook, which is not nearly as I often as I hope these days, I opt for things starchy, salty, sugary, oily... you get the point.
And the other night, when Mr. Urban had a dinner time meeting, guess where I took my child for dinner in a clandestine fashion? I can't bring myself to even write the words. But my daughter who has been conditioned sine birth to categorize this restaurant as "Unhealthy", took bites out of her burger with such suspicion and hesitation, almost expecting the ceiling to cave in on us from above... I on the other hand savored each bite of my card-boardy sandwich, as though it were my last meal.
But there are days like yesterday, when miraculously you have time to go for an early morning walk, to play, to draw, to read, to run over to get your car fixed, to have a picnic lunch before school drop-off, to answer mail, and to make a soup for dinner. How I love those kinds of days.
The soup I made was a healthier variation of my mother's delicious Barley soup and it was an all around crowed pleaser.
I love Fall for so many of its virtues... especially for it being the start of the cozy, steamy, one-pot dinner season.
Mom's Barley Soup - the veggie fortified version
1 1/2 cup pearl barley
2 cartons of chicken broth or vegetable stock
1 carrot
1 small zucchini
1 leak
3 lemons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wash the barley in your pot. Throw in the chicken or vegetable stock and once it comes to a boil reduce to a simmer and let it sit on the low heat for an hour (the barley should not feel hard under your teeth). Dice the carrots into tiny cubes. Chop the leaks also into tiny pieces. Julienne the zucchini into super thin 3 inch long strips. After the barley has simmered for an hour throw in the leaks. 15 minutes later throw in the carrots and 10 minutes after that the zucchini. Don't over cook the zucchini. After a few minutes the soup is ready to be served. I add the salt and pepper at the end, otherwise I find that the barley takes in too much salt for being perfectly seasoned. Serve on the side of a half lemon to be squeezed in just before eating.
My mother's version starts with homemade chicken or beef stock. And when the barley is nearly cooked she adds diced carrots. Before serving she stirs in fresh cream or a white sauce that she makes from a mixture of cream and flour. Lemon on the side is a must!
The soup is perfectly white and creamy even without adding any cream to it.
Hope you are adding lots of steam to your Fall!
When I do cook, which is not nearly as I often as I hope these days, I opt for things starchy, salty, sugary, oily... you get the point.
And the other night, when Mr. Urban had a dinner time meeting, guess where I took my child for dinner in a clandestine fashion? I can't bring myself to even write the words. But my daughter who has been conditioned sine birth to categorize this restaurant as "Unhealthy", took bites out of her burger with such suspicion and hesitation, almost expecting the ceiling to cave in on us from above... I on the other hand savored each bite of my card-boardy sandwich, as though it were my last meal.
But there are days like yesterday, when miraculously you have time to go for an early morning walk, to play, to draw, to read, to run over to get your car fixed, to have a picnic lunch before school drop-off, to answer mail, and to make a soup for dinner. How I love those kinds of days.
The soup I made was a healthier variation of my mother's delicious Barley soup and it was an all around crowed pleaser.
I love Fall for so many of its virtues... especially for it being the start of the cozy, steamy, one-pot dinner season.
Mom's Barley Soup - the veggie fortified version
1 1/2 cup pearl barley
2 cartons of chicken broth or vegetable stock
1 carrot
1 small zucchini
1 leak
3 lemons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wash the barley in your pot. Throw in the chicken or vegetable stock and once it comes to a boil reduce to a simmer and let it sit on the low heat for an hour (the barley should not feel hard under your teeth). Dice the carrots into tiny cubes. Chop the leaks also into tiny pieces. Julienne the zucchini into super thin 3 inch long strips. After the barley has simmered for an hour throw in the leaks. 15 minutes later throw in the carrots and 10 minutes after that the zucchini. Don't over cook the zucchini. After a few minutes the soup is ready to be served. I add the salt and pepper at the end, otherwise I find that the barley takes in too much salt for being perfectly seasoned. Serve on the side of a half lemon to be squeezed in just before eating.
My mother's version starts with homemade chicken or beef stock. And when the barley is nearly cooked she adds diced carrots. Before serving she stirs in fresh cream or a white sauce that she makes from a mixture of cream and flour. Lemon on the side is a must!
The soup is perfectly white and creamy even without adding any cream to it.
Hope you are adding lots of steam to your Fall!
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