Chase Away the Blues with Delicious Soups and Stews
(Page 3 of 4)
January/February 2008
Mollie Cox Bryan
iStockPhoto.com/Liza McCorkle
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Pea soup has been eaten since antiquity; the Greeks and Romans were cultivating this legume about 500 to 400 B.C. During that era, vendors in the streets of Athens were selling hot pea soup. Many cultures, including Swedish, English, German, French, Dutch and American, name pea soup among their traditional soups. Some modern split pea soup recipes call for meat, usually ham, but the oldest ones do not. It’s easily added to this quick and simple vegetarian version.
2 cups green split peas
8 cups water or vegetable broth
3 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 potatoes, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for at least 4 hours, or until peas are soft.
Remove bay leaves before serving. Yields 6 servings.
Hungarian Barley Stew
iStockPhoto.com/stocksnapper
Breadmakers use barley, and the grain has become a soup staple, as well. |
Barley was, alongside emmer wheat, a staple cereal of ancient Egypt, where it was used to make bread and beer; together, these were a complete diet. The grain is now a common ingredient in soups and stews, and there are few countries in the world today that do not have a local recipe for barley soup.
One of the first writings about the cultivation of barley was by Emperor Shen Nung around 2,800 B.C., when he referred to it as one of China’s five sacred plants. The world’s best known barley stew, however, is from Hungary, which seems exotic, but the recipe is simple and created with familiar ingredients.
1 1/2 pounds beef, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons lard, butter or oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes, undrained
3 cups water
2/3 cup barley
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon paprika, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
Sour cream, for topping, if desired