Marcella Hazan's Barley Soup in the Style of Trent

I was going to delay this post to tomorrow, but I'm too beside myself with delight to wait.

This barley soup is, without a doubt, the best soup I have ever made ever. I know, don't say it. A lot of "ever made evers" pile up in these posts. Pretty soon you won't believe anything I say! But I always really mean it. Maybe I just have short-term taste memory. Or maybe what makes something better than what came before it is the sheer fact of its novelty. In any case, this barley soup does kick my sunchoke soup in the knees. This is because Marcella Hazan is brilliant. Dare I say, infallible. The only reason this soup turned out so well is because of her amazing recipe. If you took the same ingredients, set them before me and said, here Chefty Lass, make me a soup, it would have turned out entirely different and not nearly as swoon-worthy.

That's right. Swoon. Worthy. You suspect I'm getting caught up in Valentine's hype. After all, this is barley we're talking about: the stuff of beer, porridge, and animal feed. Foie gras it ain't. But I say, no matter. If you could walk through my apartment door right now, the scent of rosemary mingled with crispy pork (sorry, Happy Luddite) and simmering aromatic vegetables would disarm you. You would drop to your knees and beg for food. I swear.

So, the recipe, let me share it with you already. It's a cure for cold, rotten February nights everywhere. Plus, if you ask me, cooking up a pot of this savory dish is a far more romantic gesture than one of those fussy multi-course deals that stress you out. If you're prowling around for inspiration, this is it: the ultimate (wink) tuck-in meal. And you'll have room for dessert, which is really what you should be expending your efforts on anyway if you're celebrating Valentine's Day.

Marcella Hazan's Barley Soup in the Style of Trent
Serves 4

1 1/4 c pearl barley, rinsed well
1/4 c, plus 2 tb, extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced (not in the original recipe, but for aromatic purposes it's wonderful)
1/3 c proscuitto, pancetta or country ham, unsmoked, chopped fine (I only had regular bacon, no problems there)
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 potato (I used a sweet potato), peeled and diced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tb parsley, minced (I used celery leaves since that's what I had and thought it tasted good; parsley will give you a brighter, I guess more earthy taste, so do what you like)
1 bouillon cube (I used vegetable, recipe doesn't specify)
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or other Italian hard cheese (grana padano, pecorino)

Pour barley into a soup pot, add enough water to cover by about 3 inches, and hit it with some salt (MH doesn't do this and I wonder why). Cover the pot and bring to a slow but steady simmer. Cook for about one hour until barley is fully tender but not mushy--al dente!

While the barley is cooking, warm all the olive oil in a skillet, add the onions (& celery if you're using) and season; sweat for about five minutes until translucent, stirring occasionally. Do not brown.



Add your pork of choice to the onions (I crisped up my bacon a little in the oven first) and cook for about three minutes. Then stir in parsley or celery leaves and rosemary and take the pan off the heat.

When the barley is done, add the onion mixture to the pot, along with the diced carrot and potato. (MH tells you to rinse the peeled carrots and potato in cold water before dicing. I'm not sure why--to clear off residual dirt from the skins, or maybe rinse off some of the starch? I didn't do this and detected no ill effects in the finished product.) Add the bouillon cube and season with salt and pepper.


I'm mostly paraphrasing this recipe, but here's a direct quote from MH:

"Add a little more water if the soup appears to be too dense. It should neither be too thick nor too thin. Cook at a steady simmer for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. Off-heat, just before serving, swirl the grated cheese into the pot." Followed by my favorite:

"Serve promptly."

She's all about the business, no flim-flam.

My only suggestion would be that unless you plan on polishing off the whole pot in one night (and you might), add the cheese to individual servings instead. And, finish with a little drizzle of olive oil.

For this meal I'd also recommend a hunk or two of crusty bread with butter. A little sinful, a lot of awesome.