Carrot Parsnip Barley Puree

This puree turned out so much better than I'd thought! An overabundance of carrots in the fridge inspired some creative mixing and magically turned into the perfect cold weather soup.  All you need is a good blender, a Kyocera Adjustable Mandoline also comes in handy to slice the carrots paper-thin .
4-8 cups chicken broth
6-10 carrots, peeled and grated or thinly sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 potato, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
2 cups Mother's Instant Barley
salt/pepper/parsley for taste 


Combine carrots, potato, parsnip, onion, garlic with boiling broth (homemade is always best).  Cook slowly over 1-2 hours.  Let soup cool then transfer to blender and mix in small batches to your desired consistency.  Return to pot and add barley, cook 20 minutes.  Finish with salt, pepper, chopped parsley and maybe even top it off with a little parmesan.  Serve with crusty Sourdough bread spread with garlic butter, yum.

photograph by Bozena Barton.