German Barley Soup

Barley reminds me of my grandmother, who often used it in soups. Cold winter days call for the nutty heartiness that barley imparts to soups. I have a tendency to make large batches of soup, often freezing some for later. This soup is no exception—this makes a large pot of soup.

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

1-2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

1 1/2 cup pearl barley

12+ cups vegetable (or chicken) stock

2 cups finely chopped peeled russet potato

2 cups finely chopped carrot

2 cups finely chopped celery root (or celery)

2 cups finely chopped leek

1 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram

1 pound German sausages, like bratwurst

3 pieces bacon, uncooked

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Optional: freshly grated nutmeg (I don’t like nutmeg, so I omitted this.)

Optional garnish: 1/2 cup thinly sliced flat-leaf parsley leaves

Heat butter in a large soup pot over medium heat; add onion, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add barley, and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

Add stock, potato, carrot, celery root, leek, marjoram, sausages, and bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sausages are tender, about 35 minutes.

Remove sausages and bacon from saucepan, thinly slice sausages, and discard bacon. Return sliced sausage to pot. Season soup with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, if desired. Garnish with parsley, if desired.