This post is part of series called “31 Days to Rebuild Your House and Heart” and I’m writing it to chronicle our rebuilding process after we lost everything in a house fire last December. You can start here and read the whole series. Thanks for visiting!
I’m cheating and digging into my archives to find some goodies for you. But this post is so October-ish! I’m having company this week—the first weekend guests to the cottage—-and I’ve been fluffing on overdrive. I’m making this soup while they’re here and thought you might enjoy it too. Come back tomorrow for the final week of the series and for the room tours.
Here’s how it happened.
I went to bookclub at Sandy’s and she served two kinds of soups: pumpkin-apple and chicken and barley.
I’m a mixer, a layer-er, a lumper not a splitter. I layer clothes and jewelry and apparently food. So I mixed the two together and it was fantastic.
I came home, put another necklace on, and then searched pumpkin soup recipes and found this wonderful recipe by Bobby Flay and then tweaked it and added chicken and barley to it.
Phenom Soup. Par Excellence. More stately if pronounced ‘par eggselonce’. Stevie says phooey on any soup that doesn’t have beef or cheese or beer.
I say, you should try it and judge for yourself. {He really liked it despite its’ obvious lack of all things manly–although in my book chipotle and barley are right up there}
You’ll need:
2 T butter and 2 T. olive oil
1 onion
1 large carrot
3 stalks of celery
3 cloves of garlic
2 boxes of good chicken stock
1 can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix) the smaller sized can ~14 oz
3 c. cooked chicken
1/2 c barley
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
2-3 T honey
1-2 t. chipotles chopped very fine (it comes in a small can in the mexican section of the store and is packed in a heavy sauce)—it has a lot of heat so be cautious.
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
To begin, saute the veggies in the oil and butter until carrots are almost tender. Always salt as you go along and then adjust the salt at the end. Don’t wait til the very end to add salt or your dish will lack a depth of flavor. Add garlic after the veggies have cooked about 5 minutes.
Then add chicken stock, pumpkin, chicken, barley and all the spices. Cook at medium to high heat for about 45 minutes to an hour or until barley is tender. Turn heat down to simmer. Add sour cream and whisk so that no lumps remain and then add cream. Taste and reseason. I had to add more honey to balance the heat of the chipotles but DON’T leave out the chipotles. The smokey flavor makes the soup. It just wouldn’t be the same without them! Enjoy! And make promises to your husband that the next soup promises to be full of beef and cheese.
Look at you finishin’ strong!
This recipe sounds perfect for fall. My hubby does not like soup that doesn’t have substance and meat. I will have to try this one.
Enjoy your first guests to the cottage. What fun sharing your beautiful home with friends and family.
Hugs,
Ruth
I adore that you are who you are in every aspect of your life.
You are my eclectic mentor, so it only makes sense that you would layer your food, too.
My favorite part of this post? When you said that you put on another necklace and made the soup. priceless.
I made this soup last year when you posted about it , it is so good , I am so ready to make it again , delish
I read this post this morning and already have it stewing in the crock pot. Can’t wait to have our supper tonight! Thanks Edie. =)
Yum! I did a piece for Health magazine a few years ago on that soup of Bobby Flay’s, but I think you’ve vastly improved it (sorry Bobby). Now how could you sneak some beer and cheese in there? Oh, never mind. Just post a beer cheese soup recipe soon, mkay?
This sounds so delicious and perfect for autumn’s cool evenings! I’ll be trying it soon! I also like beer in my soup–I have a great recipe I’ll be sharing soon for a Beer-cheese soup!
V
I just made this tonight, thanks to you! It was AMAZING! I scoured the shelves looking for barley and chipotle peppers and it was worth it.:) YUM! I think I will make this over Thanksgiving with turkey leftovers, too. Thank you so much! Lori
Hey there is absolutely nothing wrong with reaching back and finding an oldie but a goodie.
I just made this and it is SO good!! I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream, still yum!
I made this the other night and it was YUM-O! I had to use quinoa instead of barley because I realized mid-way through prepping it that we didn’t have barley. So tasty I kept going back for one extra spoonful the rest of the night. And now I’m about to heat up some leftovers for lunch. Thanks for sharing!
I made this and it was a big hit with my whole family. My 18 month old and my 19 year old house guest were fans as were the rest of us. I was thinking of making with some turkey leftovers it was that delicious. Thank you!!!
@f4737456720f244ed226b5a5ccc8ea0f:disqus
Hi Edie! This looks wonderful. Thank you for sharing something that I can add to my soup arsenal 🙂 I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.
As a side note, I’m completing a furniture project and was considering gray paint. Do you have any pieces like that in your home that you could share as finished examples? I found some online, but I love that your home decor is cheerful and elegant at the same time. I’ve posted the details on my blog: http://www.thecannycouture.blogspot.com.
Any insight you could add would be wonderful!
Best, Canny
This has become a favorite around here. I’ve sent the recipe home with many a house guest so it’s being enjoyed all over the USA. Thank you!
What size box of stock are you using in this recipe? I’m making it for a soup swap next week and want to make sure I get it right! Thanks!
it’s 32 oz mary! good luck with the soup 🙂
xo
Thanks! I just threw 7 quarts in the freezer. 🙂