Speaking of soups . . .

[flamin lib]

I had a recipe for Winter Vegetable soup that was to die for. Lost it. Now in throws of deep depression as weather turns cold, *sigh*.

As best I can recall it had: barley, potatoes, onions and parsnips all sauted in butter til soft then cooked in beef broth seasoned with thyme. At the last minute fresh spinach was added to wilt just before serving.

Anybody have a recipe that sounds like this? I found it in a gourmet magazine.

[Arkansas Granny]

1. What you have listed sounds like a pretty good soup to me. I'd go with that.

[kentauros]

2. Does this sound close enough?

I found this on RecipeSource. The great thing about soup is that it can be made in so many different ways. The following one doesn't have the parsnips, but I'm sure you can add them along with the rest of the veggies, and maybe a little more water or broth to cover the added vegetable matter. Not sure if you would need to increase the spices, but you can do that to taste anyway :)

http://www.recipesource.com/soups/soups/winter-vegetable2.html

Winter Vegetable Soup
Serving Size : 12

Amount...Measure........Ingredient -- Preparation Method
___1____tablespoon___Peanut Oil
___3____medium______Carrots *
___3____medium______Potatoes *
___3________________Ribs Celery -- 1/2″ Slices
___1____medium______Onion -- Coarsely Chopped
___2________________Cloves Garlic -- Crushed
___1____teaspoon____Dried Thyme Leaves -- Crumbled
__1/2___cup_________Whole Barley
__1/2___cup_________Wild Rice -- Rinsed
___7____cups________Beef Broth
___2____medium______Tomatoes, Peeled -- Diced
___6____ounces______Fresh Spinach **
Salt And Pepper To Taste

* Carrots should be pared and cut into 1/2 inch slices, potatoes into 1/2
inch chunks. ** Fresh spinach should be trimmed, rinsed and torn into bite
sized pieces.
~-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots,
celery, onion, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, until slightly
softened, 5 minutes. Add barley and rice; stir to coat. Stir in broth, 2
cups water, potatoes and tomatoes. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to
medium low; simmer covered, skimming and stirring occasionally, 1 hour.
Stir in spinach, salt and pepper; simmer covered 3 minutes. Serve hot. 126
calories per serving. From: Syd's Cookbook.

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[flamin lib]

3. YES!! That's it!

I made it from memory last night. I forgot the wild rice and tomato. Used too much barley too, it got a bit thick. It was good, but not that wonderful OMG! good I remembered.

Thank you soooo much.

[kentauros]

4. You're welcome :)

Barley is known for its thickening quality, something to remember for the future. Not that I can ever seem to get it right either ;)

RecipeSource and RecipeZaar are two excellent sources for recipes and plain research, if you already know what you're looking for and just want a little variety. I've also used RecipeZaar for writing, when I needed authentic cuisine I was unfamiliar with.