Traditional German Barley Soup

I am part of a unique book club.  I think I've mentioned it before.  We read a book and then try to find dishes from the same origin as the book is based on.  We recently read a book based in Germany and I had a fun time looking for an authentic recipe.  That didn't contain meat.  At all.

It was quite the search, but I stumbled on a vegetable and barley soup recipe and while I most used the recipe linked (below), I also used a little bit of a recipe I found on a German food-blog (thank you Google Translator for helping me figure out what it even said!).  I feel this is probably pretty close to the real deal (minus the bacon, for which I subbed my favorite liquid smoke) and hope you enjoy.

Original recipe was found here and tweaked.

German Barley Soup

serves 4-6 (10 cups)

• 1 lg onion, chopped
• 1 1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 1/4 cup finely chopped leek
• 1 1/4 cup finely chopped peeled russet potato
• 1 cup barley, rinsed well
• 8 cups of water/broth
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

-- Saute onion, carrots, celery, and leek in a large pot until soft.

-- Add potatoes, broth, barley, and spices.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about an hour or so.  Stir occasionally.  Soup is done when barley is all soft and potatoes are starting to fall apart.

-- Add liquid smoke and stir.

-- Season with salt and pepper, if desired.