Easy to make soup full of color and different textures with hearty, smoky ham flavor.
In our family I’m the biggest fan of smoked ham. Every holiday season I buy a chunk of ham to use in different ways. Everything from smoked ham sandwich, ham and cheese breakfast casserole, smoked ham Quesadilla to this Smoked Ham, Barley, and Vegetable Soup. A big pot of soup can feed us for two to three days and let me rest from all the holiday season cooking.
Ingredients for the broth:
2 chicken legs
½ onion
2 celery sticks
5 garlic gloves
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt
10 cups (2.5 liters) water
Ingredients for the barley:
1 cup (200 g) Barley Pearl
4 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
Ingredients for the soup:
½ onion
1 carrot
2-3 (300 g) potatoes
1 cup (150 g) pickles
2 cups (250 g) smoked ham
1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup (100 ml) pickles brine
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leave
Step 1
In a big pot put together all the ingredients for the chicken broth, cover with water and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Step 2
Wash the barley and transfer it to a smaller pot, cover with water and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes or until all the water evaporates. Transfer it to a sieve and give to it a wash. Let all the water drain out.
Step 3
When the chicken is ready, take it out of the pot and pass the finished broth through a sieve into another pot to get rid of the vegetables. Bring the clean broth to a boil, add the potatoes and cooked barley. Reduce the heat and keep cooking.
Step 4
In a big pan heat the olive oil, add chopped onion and grated carrot. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Then add chopped pickles and smoked ham. Mix all together and cook for another 5 minutes.
Step 5
Move the vegetable mixture to the side of the pan and add the tomato paste with the pickles brine, mix everything together and cook for 2 more minutes.
Step 6
Shred the chicken into small pieces and add it along with the vegetable mixture and a bay leave to the chicken broth. Mix everything together, cover the pot with a lid, turn off the heat and let the soup set for at least for 1 hour.
Enjoy!
Notes:
Best to use pickles in brine then in vinegar.
This soup even better taste the next day.
- 2 chicken legs
- ½ onion
- 2 celery sticks
- 5 garlic gloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 10 cups (2.5 liters) water
- 1 cup (200 g) Barley Pearl
- 4 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ onion
- 1 carrot
- 2-3 (300 g) potatoes
- 1 cup (150 g) pickles
- 2 cups (250 g) smoked ham
- 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup (100 ml) pickles brine
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bay leave
- In a big pot putt together all the ingredients for the chicken broth, cover with water and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Wash the barley and transfer it to a smaller pot, cover with water and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes or until all the water evaporates. Transfer it to a sieve and give to it a wash. Let all the water drain out.
- When the chicken is ready, take it out of the pot and pass the finished broth through a sieve into another pot to get rid of the vegetables. Bring the clean broth to a boil, add the potatoes and cooked barley. Reduce the heat and keep cooking.
- In a big pan heat the olive oil, add chopped onion and graded carrot. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Then add chopped pickles and smoked ham. Mix all together and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Move the vegetable mixture to the side of the pan and add the tomato paste with the pickles brine, mix everything together and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Shred the chicken into small pieces and add it along with the vegetable mixture and a bay leave to the chicken broth. Mix everything together, cover the pot with a lid, turn off the heat and let the soup set for at least for 1 hour.
- Best to use pickles in brine then in vinegar.
- This soup even better taste the next day.
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