Ingredients
- 3/4 cup lentils (red or green)
- 1 cup barley
- 1/2 onion
- 2 or 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 - 1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
- 1 medium-sized potato, unpeeled
- 2 small (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 1/8 teaspoon tabasco sauce
- bay leaf
- 1 bouillon packet
- spices to taste: oregano, bazil,
- 1 cup cooked shell macaroni (optional)
This is a wintery soup, but it might be good chilled in the summertime too. Even avowed non-vegetarians find it a refreshing change from "rabbit food".
About 45 minutes to make, but tell your guests you slaved over it for hours. A nice blend of textures between the crisp vegetables and the tender grains.
Dice the onions and garlic, and saute them in the bottom of a spaghetti pot. When they are done, reduce heat and mix in the tomato paste and 5-6 cups water until it reaches the consistency of tomato soup. Cut the potato into spoon-sized chunks, and chop the celery and carrot. Add the potato, lentils, barley, bay leaf, spices, tabasco, and bouillon, and stir until the bouillon is dissolved. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes (or until the grains are soft), stirring every so irring every so often to keep the barley from sticking to the bottom of the pot. After the soup is done simmering, add the celery and carrot (and mushroom and macaroni) and let the soup cook uncovered for another 10 minutes. Serve.