Barley Soup
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Rinse the barley under cold water.
In a pot, combine barley and water, using about 4 cups of water for every cup of barley.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until barley is tender, about 30-40 minutes.
Add salt to taste and any optional vegetables if desired.
Serve hot.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Barley
- Provides the bulk of the soup and thickens it as its starch releases during simmering.
The step that matters
Simmer until the barley is tender. Barley is firm and starchy when raw and needs a long, gentle simmer to soften fully. Pulling it too early leaves a chewy, under-cooked texture, while a hard boil can break the grains apart and make the broth cloudy.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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