Making a small pot of barley soup

[Marthe48]

My Mom loved it and it was her go to meal. I will use some leftover roasted pork, pan juices, both defatted, a potato, the rest of the red onion, garlic, and barley, possibly sauerkraut cooked with the pork. It will be more like a stew. My nephews called it gruel, which irritated my Mom. I haven't made it for a long time, and it will taste different than my Mom's, mainly because most of the ingredients I'm using are fresh. My Mom was quite economical, and you never knew what was in the soup. She also made one I called 'cream of leftover'.

[Diamond_Dog]

1. I love homemade soup.

Growing up, the only soup my sister and I ever got was out of a Campbell’s can. Homemade like yours using up what’s in the fridge is so much better. (and healthier, too)

[Marthe48]

7. I bet it was Scotch Broth

I loved that, and they changed the recipe. I guess the Vegetable Beef also had barley My Mom would make pea soup and put barley in that. Yum!

[Diamond_Dog]

13. I don't remember having Scotch Broth.

What I remember is Campbell’s tomato soup and Lipton chicken noodle soup from the box.

On weekends she and my dad would sometimes split a can of Campbell’s bean with bacon soup and as a kid I thought that was the most vile looking and smelling stuff!

[erronis]

2. Oh - I loved barley from my childhood. I hate to say but I think I first had it in a Campbell's soup

But since then it is a favorite grain. Really good with some mushrooms, lamb (if you like it), carrots/turnips/parsnips.

For breakfast, any time you can use oats.
https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2012/02/21/breakfast-barley

[Marthe48]

8. I like barley

My husband didn't, so I stopped using it. Just had a bowl of my generational gruel, pretty darned good!

[Hortensis]

3. It'll be good! Love the name of the other, "cream of leftover."

Marvelous how good leftovers tend to become reliably good "cream of leftovers" soup.

[Marthe48]

10. She would put anything into her soup

I read that in some places in France, they always have a pot of soup on the stove, and put any leftovers in. Mom did that. She always added onions and garlic, which I do too. If she had leftover mashed potatoes, she put them into the soup, and made it creamy. lol

[Hortensis]

14. Makes me wonder why we don't at least often do that.

I did serve my husband "cream of leftover canned refried beans soup" a few months ago, to augment a dinner salad. Don't remember the liquid, possibly a second "inspirational" leftover, but with cumin and garlic and chopped onion and jalapeno on top it was good.

I'm sure now, though, that it was a missed opportunity...

Enjoy your New Year's Eve soup.

[Duncanpup]

4. Enjoy Marthe48 sounds delicious.

Am really interested also in cream of leftovers.

[Marthe48]

11. Every pot, every bowl, every spoonful was unique

Mom loved doctoring things up, or throwing things together, said she loved having things turn out different every time. So no recipes, just good memories.

I know she added onions, garlic and Lawry's seasoned salt to every pot, but other than that, it was a free-for-all lol

[Easterncedar]

5. I made a soup with farro

Instead of barley. Cooked faster, but otherwise very like barley.

Love warm soup on a cold day.

[woodsprite]

6. That sounds awesome!

I didn’t know what we were going to have for dinner tonight, so maybe I’ll just see what kind of soup I can cook up. Maybe a black bean chicken soup with some Italian rolls, then some nibble bait with wine at midnight.

[Marthe48]

12. Sounds yummy

I have a lot of leftovers, and I'm planning how to use them up. I need to cook up some beans with the ham, or beans with the pork, trying to decide which I'd like more.

[hippywife]

9. That sound so delicious!

Now you've got me adding barley to my shopping list.

Also, love cream of leftover!

[Marthe48]

15. At easter my daughter's m-i-l was at my house

for dinner. She and my daughter were talking about making white sauce, and how you could add anything to pour over toast, bread, biscuits, or potatoes to make a meal. Creamed eggs came up. I've heard of that, not sure I'll ever try it.

But I make cream sauce now and then, for chicken gravy/biscuits or creamed chipped beef/toast squares.

[hippywife]

16. I don't usually except

for biscuits and gravy for breakfast, but I do love cream soups.

I found this pretty highly rated recipe for beef barley I think I'm going to try:

https://www.spendwithpennies.com/beef-barley-soup/#wprm-recipe-container-135804

Might be a week before I get it into the rotation, but I'm excited to try it. Thanks for the idea.

ETA: creamed eggs sound nasty.

[Marthe48]

17. You're welcome

Let us know how it turns out. My Mom would make barley soup with celery, ground beef, onions, garlic, potato and mushrooms. I liked that one, too.