Large onion chopped
3-4 celery stalks chopped
3-4 carrots cleaned halved
3 garlic cloves smashed
bay leaf and a tbsp of mixed dried herbs like sage, thyme, oregano, whatever
Part 1
- Fill a pot with the above ingredients
- Cover veggies with water plus 2 inches
- Bring to boil and simmer partially covered for 1 hour
Large bunch of kale - stems discarded, leaves diced and chopped and diced some more.
3 cups of chopped mushrooms (portabello, button, cremini, whichever you like most)
2 garlic cloves smashed and diced
1 cup of barley cooked according to package instructions (OR add barley and 2.5x amount of water to pot, boil, cover, reduce to low, cook 20-30 min)
Part 2
- In a large soup pot, warm a tbsp of olive oil and sautee mushrooms until nicely browned and very soft.
- Throw in kale a handful at a time, mixing and adding additional handfuls once the previous handful of kale is wilted and soft.
- When all kale has been added and wilted, add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add a good pinch of salt.
- Strain the veggie stock from Part 1 into the kale and mushrooms.
- Discard the onion and celery, save the carrots, slice them up and add to the kale and mushrooms.
- Bring to boil and simmer covered for 30 minutes until the kale is very soft.
- Add the barley and mix to warm.
NOTE : If you prefer the soup to be thick and stewlike, boil uncovered until you achieve desired thickness . If you prefer brothier soup, add water until desired brothiness is achieved.
Serve it with toasted bread, top with a sprinkle of parm cheese. enjoy!
