Turkey Barley Soup

This bit of comfort food goes to my friends in California who are being doused with rain. I've seen plenty of facebook comments over the past few days about how dreary and wet it is.

I feel your pain.

When it is dreary and wet around here I search for a bit of comfort. This recipe from the wonderful Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchens sure fits the bill!

Turkey Barley Soup

8 cups turkey stock (can substitute low-fat, low-sodium chicken stock)
1 T olive oil (or butter)
1 onion, diced in 3/8 inch pieces
1 cup celery, diced in 3/8 inch pieces
2 cups carrots, diced in 3/8 inch pieces
2 tsp. poultry seasoning, or more, to taste (can substitute dried thyme and sage for poultry seasoning)
black pepper to taste
4 cups diced leftover turkey
4 cups water
3/4 cup pearl barley

In very large frying pan, heat olive oil, add onion and saute 2 minutes. Add carrots, celery, poultry seasoning, and pepper and saute about 5 minutes more.

While vegetables are cooking, bring turkey stock to a boil in large soup pot. Add vegetables and turkey, lower heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Add water, bring soup back to simmer, then add barley and simmer until barley is soft, at least 30 minutes, and maybe longer, depending on how old the barley is. (When I made this recently I cooked the barley 45 minutes, but fresh barley will cook much more quickly.)

When barley is cooked, taste soup for seasoning, add additional turkey soup base and salt or pepper if needed. Simmer 10 minutes more if more soup base is added. Serve hot.

note - I made this soup after New Year's Eve when it was dull, dark, and cold around these parts. I had some black eyed peas in the freezer (which everyone knows are good luck at the New Year) so I added them to the soup. MMMMM

Comments

[small house]

This is prefect for a cold weather! Soups can be very helpful for me since I always have chills.

[Kalynskitchen]

So glad you liked it, and I love the idea of adding some black-eyed peas to this! Utah seems to be having a pretty mild winter, and I'm certainly not complaining.

[JDeQ]

We've had the same sort of winter Kalyn - I have only had to shovel once. *fingers crossed*