Gretchen's Chicken Soup

2-3 14oz cans of chicken broth or equivalent of homemade broth.
1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 14oz can corn (drained), 3 ears fresh corn, or most of a 1lb bag of frozen corn.
1/2 lb frozen lima beans or equivalent of fresh/dried beans (For dried beans, soak first)
1/2 lb frozen peas, 1 14oz can of peas (drained), or equivalent fresh peas
2 or three medium potatoes, diced
Pearl barley (perhaps 3/4 cup)
A palmful of fresh chopped parsley (optional)
salt and pepper
Cider vinegar
one or two bay leaves
Fresh or dried marjoram
Powdered ginger

Sweat onions in a little oil until they are soft. Add broth, all vegetables and barley. For each can of broth, add an equivalent amount of water. Add seasonings to taste (about 1 tsp vinegar is sufficient). Bring to a boil, turn down heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the barley is no longer al-dente. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Gretchen M Beck
Last modified: Wed Dec 15 15:34:05 EST 2004