Grisons barley soup

Barley soup has its origins in peasant cuisine. The ingredients it contains – such as the grain, vegetables and dried meat – were easy to store and could be combined to make a tasty and, above all, filling soup. This nutritious and warming soup provided the mountain people with plenty of energy, which they needed for working on the steep slopes or during the cold winter months. When winter tourism emerged, Grisons barley soup gained the popularity it enjoys today – as it also provides a hearty meal for winter sports enthusiasts.

What you need to prepare it:

Recipe for 4 people

0.5 leek
150 g carrots
150 g celery
50 g Grisons dried meat
50 g dry sausage
1 onion
2 bay leaves
100 g rolled barley
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
50 g Borlotti beans
50 g white beans
1.5 l meat or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

How it's done:

Cook the white beans and the borlotti beans separately until tender. Use plain water, not salted water.

Peel the celery, carrot and onion. Cut the leek in half and rinse it thoroughly. Finely dice the vegetables, as well as the Grisons dried meat and the dried sausauge.

Pour rapeseed oil into a saucepan and heat it gently. Gently sweat the diced vegetables and the diced dried sausage and Grisons dried meat in the oil.

Deglaze with vegetable or beef stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Then add the rolled barley and bring it back to the boil, stirring continuously. Next, add the bay leaves and leave the soup to simmer over a low heat for about 45 minutes. Stir regularly.

Once the barley soup is ready, add the soft-cooked beans. Finally, season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Bun appetit!