Vegetable Barley Soup

After cooking the beef for the Mexican Heartburn Salad (see a previous post), I had lovely broth left over. Used some of it in the pork roast gravy. It rained Sunday, ruining barbeque dreams of another Wall Street Journal Sunday cookout, so I made the New York Times Roast Pork with Thyme recipe, the world's best roast pork, forever, amen.
Had to have potatoes and gravy, applesauce, fresh beans, a medley of yellow and green. The gravy is so good you could scarf it all down along with a MOUNTAIN of mashed potatoes. We are having leftovers tonight, but I'll cook up fresh potatoes. My shabby little secret. I use Hungry Jack and make them with half and half instead of skim milk. Heavy cream is even better, but one's arteries and waistline will thank you not to do that too often.

So, to get to the point, here is all the nice broth left over from cooking the beef. Fridge also contains lots of dribs and drabs of vegetables from various recipes from the last two weeks. Vegetable Barley Soup! No recipe required.
I sauteed half a red onion in a little Canola oil, added carrots, celery, garlic, zucchini, anise, eggplant, tomato and kept sauteeing. Added a spring of rosemary and some fresh half-dried sage. Dumped it some old mushrooms, chopped and some baby spinach leftover from who-remembers-what. A reconstituted sun-dried tomato and its water. A old green onion. Add the broth, add chicken broth, a little water, and half a cup of barley. Salt and pepper. Made an awfully good lunch with decent bread, no butter.

And it was free!

A few more days and the cows would have received the vegetables. Old Mama is still vastly preggars. The calves hang out together. The blonde baby from two years ago, now a new mama with a black calf, looks sleek and lovely. What a delightful little herd.

So make your soup and enjoy.

I am trying to enjoy the rain and the break from the godawful heat, but I would really like to be out there fiddling in the garden.

Onward,

Grapeshot