It’s cold. It’s winter here in Southern California (sort of). Clearly, it’s time for the warm comfort of a bowl of steaming hot soup.
Here is a soup recipe you might not have considered: Persian Barley and Vegetable Soup with Dried Cranberries. It is delicious and stunningly beautiful. Barley is good for you, too.
People have been eating (and enjoying) barley for a very long time. It may well have been the first grain to be domesticated in the grasslands of Southwest Asia, according to Harold McGee, the renowned food expert and author of On Food and Cooking. Consumed widely across the Middle East and Mediterranean in early times, Pliny called it “the food of the gladiators.”
Give this soup a try on a day that cries out for comfort food—you know, a day that’s cold, the news is downright scary and your inner gladiator (or gladiatrix) is begging for a hug.
Here is the recipe.
Persian Barley and Vegetable Soup With Cranberries
Ingredients
- 2/3 C. pearled barley
- 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium carrots (peeled and shredded)
- 1 medium leek (dark green top discarded, white parts finely chopped)
- Kosher salt and ground pepper
- 1 t. ground turmeric
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- 5 T. chopped dried cranberries (divided)
- 1/4 C. sour cream (plus more to serve)
- 1 T. lemon juice
- Fresh cilantro, mint, dill or parsley to garnish
Directions
- Step 1 Prepare barley by toasting it in a small pan until it is just beginning to brown. This will take 4 or 5 minutes. Then, boil the barley in a pot of water (3 cups water) until it is tender and drain off the water when your barley is cooked. This will take about 45 minutes. Alternatively, you can use quick cooking barley for this recipe. If you do, simply toast it and add it to the soup pot when you add the broth.
- Step 2 Heat the oil, add the carrots and leek. Add salt. Cover and cook until the vegetables are softened. This will take about 10 minutes. (Stir the vegetables a few times to be sure they aren’t sticking in the pan.)
- Step 3 Add the turmeric and stir. Continue cooking for a few seconds until the turmeric is fragrant.
- Step 4 Add the vegetable broth and the cooked barley (drained if you used pearled barley). Bring the mixture to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook the soup for 10 to 12 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add 3 T. of the chopped dried cranberries.
- Step 5 Put the sour cream in a bowl and stir in a little of the hot soup. Whisk the sour cream into the soup and let the soup stand for about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Step 6 Season with salt and pepper. Stir some sour cream through the finished soup and serve garnished with your choice of herbs and the remaining cranberries.
This recipe was adapted from one that appears in the cookbook Milk Street Tuesday Nights. Here is a link to the book: Amazon.
