Recipe

Method

1. Finely chop enough canadian bacon to make 1/2 cup (or use a slightly smaller amount of pancetta or regular bacon)  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in heavy soup pot, add bacon and saute over medium heat until it just starts to crisp, about 3-4 minutes.

2. While the bacon cooks, chop the cabbage, onions, celery, and slice the carrots.  When bacon is starting to crisp, add the vegetables and minced garlic to the soup pot and saute for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are starting to soften.  You may need to add a little more olive oil, depending on your pan.

3. While vegetables are cooking, rinse the barley, cut a chunk of Parmesan rind, and cut a small sprig of rosemary.  When vegetables are partially soft, add chicken stock, water, diced tomatoes with juice, barley, rosemary sprig, Parmesan rind, and about 1/2 tsp. of salt.  Let the soup cook at a low simmer until the barley is soft, about 30-40 minutes

4. Put 1 can red kidney beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears.  When the barley is done, remove the Parmesan rind and rosemary and discard.   (If the soup seems too thick, you can add a little more chicken stock at this point.) Add kidney beans, season soup to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and simmer 5-10 minutes more

Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese for each person to add to their soup.