Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb pearled barley
  • 1/4 C warm water
  • Chicken broth
  • 3 leeks (white portion), chopped
  • 4-5 celery stalks, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbl flour
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

  1. Soak 1/2 lb pearl barley in 1/4 cups warm water overnight. The next day, drain.
  2. Add enough chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Add the white portion of 3 leeks, and celery. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour.
  3. Add chicken broth as needed to thin the soup to the desired consistency. Add a pinch of sugar and some nutmeg, if desired. Simmer over low heat for another hour.

Cooking Instructions:

  1. Rinse barley using a strainer. Pick out any debris.
  2. Allow barley to soak overnight in water if you want to reduce your cooking time. Use 2 cups of water for each cup of barley.
  3. Decide whether you’ll be using water or broth to boil your barley.
  4. Use 2 ½ -3 cups of water/broth for every 1 cup of barley. Add your liquid to the pot.
  5. Bring water/broth to a boil.
  6. Add barley to boiling water/broth and stir together. Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low.
  7. Cook for 15 minutes (if barley is presoaked overnight). If barley is not presoaked, cook barley for 35-40 minutes.