Barley and Beet Soup with Corn Dumplings

 

3/4 cup hulled barley or rolled barley
16 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp olive oil
2 leeks, chopped
16 oz. white mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
3 fresh beets, chopped
1 large fennel bulb, chopped
2 Tbls chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup corn

Dumplings:
1 1/2 cup white wheat flour
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup oil

For hulled barley pre-cook it in a rice cooker with 4 cups of water.

If you are using rolled barley, you can just add it to the soup with the vegetables.

Combine the ingredients for the dumplings in a medium bowl and mix with a fork until combined.

Bring the stock to a boil, then add barley, dill, olive oil, leeks, mushrooms, garlic, beets, fennel and corn, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

Plop in the dumpling dough by the spoonful, cover the pot and let simmer for 10 minutes. Do not lift cover until dumplings have cooked for 10 minutes, but make sure it doesn't overflow. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve this soup garnished with dill sprigs.

Makes about 4 quarts