Back Bean Barley Soup

Yummy!
     Beef barley is a well know classic soup.  I have made lentil barley soup and chicken barley soup a few times too.  Beans like lentils or black beans have fairly strong flavors that go well with barley.  This black bean barley soup is not as thick as a Cuban style black bean soup.  This soup has a good proportion of broth and it has a pleasant southwestern Spanish flavor.
   
     Black Bean Barley Soup Recipe:
     Boil 3 cups of light chicken stock in a sauce pot over high heat.
     Add 2 tablespoons of barley.
     Add 1 teaspoon of garlic paste.
     Add 1 small handful of finely chopped onion.
     Mash 3 ounces of rinsed cooked or canned black beans.
     Add the mashed black beans to the soup.
     Add 3 ounces of rinsed cooked or canned whole black beans.
     Add 1 small bay leaf.
     Add 1 pinch of oregano.
     Add 1 pinch of paprika.
     Add 1 pinch of cayenne pepper.
     Add 1 pinch of ground anatto.
     Add 1 pinch of ancho chile powder.
     Add 1 pinch of coriander.
     Add 1 pinch of cumin.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     When the barley starts to become tender, reduce the temperature to low heat.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of chopped pimiento.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of virgin olive oil.
     Simmer the soup, till the barley and black beans become tender.  Simmer the soup, till it reduced by on third of the volume.
     Remove the bay leaf.
     Ladle the soup into a shallow soup bowl.
     Place a small mound of thin sliced green onion on the center of the soup.
     The mildly spicy southwestern flavor of this black bean barley soup is warm and inviting!  The aroma smells very nice.  The barley makes this soup feel quite filling, just like when rice is added to Cuban black bean soup.  This is a nice warm soup for a chilly autumn day!  Tasty!  ...  Shawna