This barley soup or “minestra d’orzo” is a typical recipe from Trentino, an area in northeastern Italy near the border with Austria. Its main ingredient is barley (orzo in Italian), a cereal of great nutritional value that is worth incorporating into our diet, especially considering that its preparation is so simple and tasty.
Ingredients:
Pearled or whole barley (about 40 grams per person)
A piece of Alto Adige Speck (if not available, use bacon or Parma ham)
Onion, garlic, carrot, leek, celery stalk, potato, etc.
Meat or vegetable broth
A few sprigs of thyme and/or rosemary, bay leaf
Salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil
Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan, without letting it smoke. Cut the Speck or bacon into small cubes and brown them for a few minutes. Add the chopped vegetables, salt lightly and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes.
Soak the barley and discard the water 2 or 3 times, until the water is clear. Then add the barley to the pan and sauté for about a minute. Cover then with the broth, which should already be hot. Add the spices (rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, etc.). Cover and cook over low heat for about 35 minutes, until the barley is ready.
Tips and tricks:
- This recipe is very tasty with any type of broth. The final flavor can be even more intense if we use smoked bacon in the preparation.
- The Alto Adige Speck (also called Süd-Tiroler Speck in German) is precisely characterized by a light smokiness, in addition to being dry aged not only with salt, but with additional spices such as bay leaf, juniper, rosemary and pepper. Curiously, the German word “Speck” refers to pork belly; However, Alto Adige Speck is prepared from the leg of the pig, so we could say that it is a regional type of smoked raw ham.
- The barley to use can be whole grain, although in general you usually get what is called “pearl barley” (orzo perlato in Italian), that is, without the hull.
- The barley will be ready after approximately 35 minutes of cooking. It will have a tender and pleasantly chewy consistency but without being hard. Anyone who has not tried this cereal should not expect a texture as soft as rice.
- Like other grains, barley absorbs a large amount of water when cooking, so it is a good idea to have a little more broth on hand, in case the soup requires additional liquid.