2-DAY VEGETABLE-BARLEY SOUP
 
This soup takes two days to make. On the first day, make the stock. The next day, or whenever you plan to serve the soup, add remaining vegetables and barley. For best flavor, do not add vegetables and barley more than one day before soup is to be served.
 
 Day 1—Make Stock
 
 1½ tablespoons olive oil
 1 medium Spanish or Bermuda onion, peeled
 2 large stalks celery, with leaves
 
 2 gallons (8 quarts) cold water
 
 ½ small turnip
 1½ cups okra
 1 cup green beans
 3 large potatoes
 2 parsnips
 3 carrots
 1 zucchini
 1 yellow squash
 1 cups broccoli stems (reserve tops)
 1 cups fresh parsley (do not use dried)
 2 cloves fresh garlic
 
 ¼ cup tamari
 1 bay leaves
 ½ teaspoon each basil and oregano
 ½ teaspoon thyme
 ½ tablespoon Maggi seasoning (if available)
 Optional: 3 small vegetable bouillon cubes
 1 small strip kombu seaweed
 
 ½ of a 29 oz. can crushed or whole tomatoes
 
 Cut vegetables in large chunks. Okra and beans can be halved, potatoes quartered. Garlic may be left whole.
 
 In a large pot, sauté onions and celery in oil until onion is soft. Add water and bring to a boil. Add all remaining vegetables and seasonings, except the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for two hours. Add tomatoes and simmer for one hour more.
 
 Place a large colander or strainer over a pot and strain soup, pressing down on the vegetables (which at this point are cooked to a mush) to extract as much liquid as possible.
 
 Reserve four cups of the vegetables. Try to exclude the potatoes, and make sure you do not have the bay leaves. In a food processor, blender, or food mill, puree these vegetables and return them to the stock. Refrigerate overnight.
 
 
 Day 2—Finish soup
 
 ¾ cups barley, rinsed well
 1 very small zucchini, in small dice
 1 very small yellow squash, in small dice
 1 cup okra, sliced into thin rounds
 ¾ cup green beans, cut into fourths
 3 small potatoes, in small cubes
 ¾ cups broccoli tops, separated into small florets
 Optional: ½ cup mushrooms, sliced
 
 1 small can tomato paste
 ½ of a 29-ounce can crushed tomatoes
 
 Cut vegetables into small pieces. Bring stock to a boil, add barley and additional vegetables, but do not add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes yet. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the beans are fully cooked, stirring frequently. Add tomato paste and canned tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until barley is done. Stir every 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve piping hot.
 
 Serves around 10-12

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