Lamb, Vegetables & Barley Soup (Great Nana's Recipe)

I took my oldest son to visit my husband's nana one day, she was over 90 years old, and she served us this soup with some buttered toast. It was winter and I remember the pleasant warming effect in my tummy. She told me that she put just any vegetables available in the fridge together with some lamb bones in the soup.

I have been using this soup recipe ever since, usually when someone is sick in the house. It is a nutritious and a hearty meal. I've used chicken and beef for this recipe too but I like lamb the most. I think the most important thing is to get meat with bones on it so that the soup will get the nutrient and flavour from the bones.

I love the simplicity of the soup plus serving it with simple buttered toast. My husband and son love to dip their buttered toast in the soup before eating it.

Here is the recipe with some photos. If you do try cooking this, I hope your family will enjoy the soup as much as ours do.


Ingredients:

• Lamb Bones 500 gram (or other soup bones / other meat with bones such as Osso Bucco, skinless chicken legs on the bones, etc.)

• Main vegetables chopped to small even sizes: Carrots, Potatoes, and Celeries. I chopped my veggies in small sizes to make it easier for my little one to eat. You can cut big chunks if you prefer.

Any vegetables in the fridge can be used

• Additional vegetables that are cooked quickly. Cauliflowers are my personal favourite and I cut it to small florets. You can use any vegetables available at your house, nana used some tomatoes and frozen peas in hers.

• 1/2 cup of Barley: Soak the barley in hot water and drain the water. 

Soaked barley

• One onion or One leek, peeled and chopped finely
• Water
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Sliced Toast-Cut Bread (any type of bread you prefer, white, wholemeal, etc.)
• Butter

Method:

1. Turn on the stove to medium heat and heat olive oil a large pot. When the oil is hot cook the lamb bones / meat together with the chopped leek and onion. Keep stirring and turning until the leek/onions are soft and lamb are cooked on all sides.

Brown lamb bones on all sides

2. Put in the main vegetables and barley on top of the meat and pour in water until it just covers the meat, barley and vegetables. Wait until the water boils then lower the stove heat to very low. Close the pot with a lid and cook for a minimum of 1.5 hours stirring occasionally. The longer the soup is cooked the more flavour and nutrient it'll get from the bones, and the meat will be very tender after a long period of slow cooking.

Put in main vegetables and barely then pour enough water to cover the ingredients

Bring water to boil

Lower the heat and put a lid on. Cook for at least 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally

3. After 1.5 hours, insert the additional vegetables that does not take long to cook like chopped cauliflowers, broccoli, peas, green beans etc.  Cook these vegetables for another 10 minutes.

4. The soup is ready, pour salt for seasoning to your liking and mix well. Toast slices of bread, spread butter on the toast and cut into any shapes you like. Sometimes I use the cookie cutters to make a fun shape for my kid but he likes simple triangles too.

5. Serve soups in bowls with the toasts on a separate plate.

Enjoy, and if you're sick when making this soup, I hope you'll get well soon.