Südtiroler Gerstsuppe
This is a traditional soup from the Südtirol - the Alto Adige in italian, the german/italian/ladin speaking part of Italy which borders Austria. It is typically served in the berghütte or rifugios in the mountains - I had it in the Villnöß or Val di Funes located between Brixen and Bolzano. Apparently it is a staple of the food served as part of Törggelen - in autumn, walking in the hills followed by good food and drink (traditionally the new wines).
Ingredients
- 100g pearl barley
- piece of smoked bacon or ham, cut into 5mm dice
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 stick celery, finely diced (5mm)
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 potato (waxy or vastkokend), finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1.5l beef broth - I use 1 jar (300ml, which makes 600ml, made up with water to 1.5l)
- parsley
- salt & pepper
Method
- Wash the barley with cold water, drain, and cover with water and allow to soak for an hour
- Gently fry the onions, celery, carrot and garlic in a little oil.
- Add the drained barley and broth. Add the bacon, if using, to the pot. If using ham, wait until you add the potatoes.
- Cook for 45-50 minutes or longer till barley is swelled and cooked. Add the ham and potato and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and add the parsley
- Walk up a mountain and serve
sudtirol sudtiroler
Barley soup from Südtirol
Barley soup from Südtirol or Alto Adige, Südtiroler Gerstesuppe