2tspfresh sage leavesfinely chopped; or 1 tsp crumbled dried sage
3tbspdry sherry
Soup
⅓cuppearl barley
1 ½cupswater
½tspsea saltto taste
6cupsvegetable broth
4cupsroasted root vegetables
½cupfresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2tspsherry vinegar
fruity green olive oiloptional
Instructions
Vegetables
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Peel and dice all the vegetables to a fairly uniform size, about 1 inch. The onions can be cut in slightly larger pieces, as they are less dense.
Mix the vegetables together in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper to taste, thyme, sage, and sherry. Adjust the amount of herbs to your taste.
Spread the vegetables over two shallow baking pans and roast them for an hour or until they are tender and flecked with dark brown spots.
Mix and turn the vegetables a few times during the roasting. About midway through, reverse the position of the pans between upper and lower racks in the oven.
Remove tray from oven and let vegetables cool. The vegetables will reduce in volume as they roast, and you should have about 8 cups when they are done.
Soup
Combine the barley in a large soup pot with water, salt, and vegetable broth.
Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer the barley for 35 minutes. The barley will swell to two or three times its original size and maintain its distinctive chewy texture.
Add 4 cups of the roasted vegetables (you can coarsely chop them first if the pieces look too large to you), and simmer the soup for about 15 minutes to marry the flavors.
Taste, and add more salt if needed.
Add the parsley and sherry vinegar during the last few minutes. If the soup seems too thick, add another cup or so of vegetable broth.
Finish the soup with your favorite garnish, such as a swirl of fruity olive oil.