Greening Austin Daily

Recipe Review Tuesday: Barley Soup with Greens, Fennel, Lemon, and Dill

10th January, 2012 - Posted by katherine - No Comments

Last week’s JBG veggie box  contained dill, fennel, green onions, spinach, collard greens and turnip greens, all of which could be used in this recipe from epicurious.  I changed the recipe below to fit what I had on hand, using collard and turnip greens rather than kale and chard, and leaving out the mint and regular onions (I only had green onions).  It turned out really well, was great for using up veggies that are in season now, and was pretty healthy.  Plus I used my own home-made vegetable broth for this recipe (See Carsi’s write-up for making your own veggie broth here. The broth was very easy to make, and considering it’s made using parts of veggies you would otherwise throw away/compost, it’s  a lot better than having to pay ~$3 for veggie broth at the store).

Here’s the epicurious recipe:

4 cups water

8 cups (or more) Light Vegetable Broth or good-quality canned vegetable broth (such as Swanson), divided

1 cup (scant) pearl barley (about 6 ounces), rinsed

1 teaspoon (scant) fine sea salt plus additional for sprinkling

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling

3 cups chopped onions

8 cups coarsely chopped stemmed kale leaves (about one 7-ounce bunch)

6 cups coarsely chopped stemmed chard leaves (about one 7-ounce bunch)

5 cups spinach leaves (about 5 ounces)

3/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup chopped fresh fennel fronds

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 7-ounce package feta cheese, crumbled

Bring 4 cups water, 2 cups broth, barley, and 1 scant teaspoon sea salt to boil in large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with sea salt, and sauté until golden brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add sautéed onions and remaining 6 cups broth to pot with barley. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm before continuing.

Add kale and chard to soup. Simmer until greens are tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach, green onions, dill, fennel fronds, and mint; simmer 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Season soup with sea salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice, thinning with more broth, if desired.

Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle feta cheese over, drizzle with oil, and serve.

But wait! What’s that delicious-looking little roll in the background, bringing visions of Red Lobster to your eyes? It’s a cheddar dill biscuit, which was pretty easy to make with a food processor and made the whole meal more filling.  I had more dill to get rid of, and these biscuits helped me use up a little more.  This is also an epicurious recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

2 oz coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (3/4 cup)

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

3/4 cup whole-milk plain yogurt

1/3 cup whole milkp

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.

• Pulse flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add Cheddar and dill and pulse until just combined. Whisk together yogurt and milk, then add to food processor and pulse until dough just comes together. Spoon 12 (1/4-cup) mounds of dough about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased large baking sheet and bake until puffed and pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

The soup was really easy to make once all the veggies are washed, and I think it’s a good recipe to make on a weekend and then eat leftovers of for the rest of the week.  Making my own biscuits was fun but a little more work than usual for me (I usually would just buy some crusty bread at the store to go with soup), so I don’t think I would get around to making these ever during the week, but for a nice meal on the weekend when you have time to relax in the kitchen, it’s a nice touch.   We also had some rutabaga pie for dessert (recipe here) to use up the rutabaga from the box, which was surprisingly delicious but unlike any pie I’ve ever had before. All in all a great vegetarian/local meal!