Recipe - Barley Soup With Ham

3 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 Carrots, minced
2 Ribs celery, minced
Three fourths cup Pearl barley
6 cup Chicken broth
1 small Imported bay leaf
One fourth teaspoon Ground allspice
One half cup Diced smoked ham
3 tablespoon Unsalted butter
1/3 pound Fresh mushrooms, trimmed and
chopped
3 teaspoon Lemon juice
1 tablespoon Fresh parsley leaves, minced

Put the oil and onion in a soup kettle, set over low heat, and cook until
the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Raise heat to medium, stir in the
garlic and carrots, and stircook for one minute. Add the celery and
stircok for a minute. Add the barley, broth, bay leaf, and allspice.
Bring to the boil, skimming the top of the soup as necessary. Simmer,
covered, for about one hour, or until the barley is tender. (The soup may
be prepared in advance to this point.)

Stir the ham into the piping hot soup and let simmer while you prepare the
mushrooms. Heat the butter in a small skillet, add the mushrooms and lemon
juice, and stircook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Add the
mushroom mixture to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Discard the
bay leaf. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Ladle into warmed bowls and serve immediately.

Makes 5 servings.

[WASHINGTON POST Jan 11, 1989] Posted by Fred Peters.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini