Soup, Bread and Claybakers

Since telling Hollis that I would trade him soup recipes I thought I would publish the recipe here for all with a picture. Friday was a great day for soup. This is a family favorite, it uses many ingredients that are part of our western lifestyle: high quality lean beef, any root vegetable you care to throw in the pot and, of course barley. We grow lots and lots of the best barley in the world !

I hope you give this a try - feel free to experiment with your local ingredients... maybe not clams though. Check out Hollis's chowder recipe for those.

Hearty Hamburger Soup ( makes 10 servings )

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

1 medium chopped onion

1 - 28oz. can diced tomatoes

2 c. water

3- 10 oz. cans consomme

1 - 10 oz. can tomato soup

6 carrots chopped

1 bay leaf ( I'm not a fan, so leave this out)

3 stalks of celery chopped

1/2 tsp. thyme

1T. of dried parsley or fresh if you have it

8 heaping T. pot barley

pepper to taste.

Brown onion and beef in a large heavy pot, drain if needed.

Add all the other ingredients, cover and simmer for at least 2 hours or all afternoon while you are out in the studio !

Some homemade bread goes great.

BTW, the bread is baked in an unglazed baker that I made. This works so well that I will never go back to a metal loaf pan. The baker is sitting on tiles that I made as a first year student at Sheridan College (Oakville campus ) and later set into a large coffee table made by a friend, specifically for the tiles.