Mimi's Kitchen

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Mimi's Kitchen! St. Patty's day is a big deal 'round our house because I am married to an Irishman who is very proud of his heritage. DLH's great-grandfather Driscoll came to America in the early 1900's from County Cork, Ireland, with nothing but empty pockets and the dream of a new life. Now, a hundred-plus years later, traces of that hopeful, red-headed young man can still be seen in the strawberry-blond hair and Irish blue eyes of my husband and his four brothers.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and my husband's great-grandfather, I thought I'd do a recipe for an Irish Vegetable Soup for week 9 of The Year of Soup Challenge. Almost as thick as a stew, this tasty and filling soup was very typical mid-day fare for working men like Grandpa Driscoll, and was usually served with plenty of bread and sweet Irish butter.

Irish Vegetable Soup
1/2 cup pearl barley
5 cups chicken broth or water
4 large potatoes
2 carrots
1/2 medium turnip
2 sticks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 large cabbage leaves, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
2 sprigs fresh parsley (or 1 tsp. dried parsley)
1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme)
6 sage leaves (or 1/2 tsp. dried sage)

Place the barley in a large pot and cover with 5 cups broth or water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and wash the potatoes, carrots and turnip. Cut peeled vegetables into large (but bite-sized) pieces. Add all vegetables to pot with barley. Add salt, pepper, and herbs. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Serve with bread and butter.