2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled, halved, and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
8 cups vegetable broth
1 cup pearl barley
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup firmly packed fresh spinach, washed
Melt the butter in a 5-quart heavy-bottomed soup pot and add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the broth, barley and salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until the barley is tender, stirring every so often so the barley does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Add the zucchini and oats. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste and correct the seasonings. Add the spinach and let it wilt, less than a minute. From "The Supper Book" by Marion Cunningham (Knopf, $22) Per serving: 358 calories (percent of calories from fat, 23), 13 grams protein, 64 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams fiber, 9 grams fat, 16 milligrams cholesterol, 2,133 milligrams sodium.
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