A very rich, thick soup, modified from one from the Amerongen family.
This is a good recipe to make use of the carcass of a roast chicken or turkey. The more richly spiced the skin of the bird, the better the soup (an onion/garlic/butter/honey coat on the turkey works well). The bones from restaurant-cooked rottiserie chicken work very well too.
Break up a
chicken or turkey carcass
place in a large pot, cover in water, and simmer on low heat until any meat falls easily off of the bone. This usually takes at least one hour. You may need to add more water to keep the carcass covered.
Cool the liquid, take out the carcass, making sure you remove all bones from the liquid. Take any meat from the bone, and set aside in a refrigerator. Discard the skin and bones. Place the liquid in the refrigerator, and cool; once cool, remove any fat hardened on the surface of the liquid.
Add
1/2 cup barley
1/4 to 1/2 cup lentils
to the liquid, and simmer for about 1 hour, until the lentils are nearly soft.
Add to the soup:
4-5 bay leaves
Slightly sauté
one onion, finely chopped
in a small amount of butter. Add the onion to the soup, and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes
Add
4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes; if lentils are still not soft, cook until they are.
Add the meat that was set aside, and simmer for a few minutes until the meat is hot.