Italian cuisine · Soups & Stews

Trentino Barley and Vegetable Soup

A Trentino barley soup with carrot, celery, leek and potatoes, slowly cooked until it thickens on its own.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 200 g pearl barley
• 2 carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 leek
• 2 potatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 1.5 l vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 30 g butter
• 1/2 bunch chives
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Rinse the barley in cold water and soak for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, in plenty of water, then drain.
2. Cut the carrots, celery and potatoes into 1 cm cubes, halve the leek lengthwise, wash and cut into fine half-rings, and finely chop the onion.
3. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot and sauté the onion, leek, carrot and celery over low heat for 10 min. until the leek is soft.
4. Stir in the barley and bay leaf, pour in the hot stock and simmer covered over low heat for 45 min., stirring two or three times.
5. Add the diced potatoes and cook for another 15–20 min. until the barley and potatoes are soft and the soup has turned creamy from the starch; season with salt and pepper.
6. Remove the bay leaf, ladle the soup into deep bowls and serve hot sprinkled with chopped chives.