Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Mish's Meatball and Barley Soup


Tonight was the last night of our Winter Ladies' Bible study, and we had a soup and salad dinner together. That sounded especially cozy last week when we planned it and it was 27 degrees outside! Today it was 80 degrees, and I had the windows open with a lovely soft breeze blowing through the house and keeping the kitchen cool as I cooked up a couple batches of soup, one for the family and one for the ladies.

I always like a savory soup, more like a stoup, as Rachael Ray would say, hearty and starchy. I decided to go for a meatball soup, checked around for a few recipes, and then created a hybrid of my favorite flavors. This turned out to be a lovely recipe that cooks up quick, and my friends seemed to agree. I wrote out the recipe this evening before forgetting what went into it, and I thought I'd share it with you, too.
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Mish's Meatball and Barley Soup

Created by Michele Chisholm
March 10, 2009

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 pound pancetta, diced

1 medium white onion, chopped

1/2 cup of chopped celery

Worcester sauce, two or three dashes or to taste

2 large potatoes chopped to about 1-inch pieces

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained

1 box (32 ounces) beef broth

4 cups water

Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Nutmeg (fresh or shake from the tin), to taste

3/4 cup barley

One bag of prepared meatballs (original flavor, around 32 small meatballs)
OR 1 batch of homemade small meatballs (your own recipe)

** Serve with garnish of Parmigiano-Reggiano

In a large, heavy stockpot, heat olive oil. Saute garlic, pancetta, onion, and celery until translucent. Stir in Worcester sauce. Add potatoes, toss around, and let cook for a minute or so. Add in drained beans, beef broth, water, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Add the barley and meatballs and continue to boil for 3 minutes. Turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!

3 comments:

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

Mmmm, sounds and looks delicious Michele! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe!

Hope things are going well for you!

XOXOX
Jen

LaurieStar said...

Just saw your shop on Etsy and followed it here to your blog. Your work is beautiful and have marked you one of my favorites!

babies said...

yum! i will try it, only without the meat.