Gerstsuppe or Tyrolean barley soup is a typical dish from South Tyrol, served mainly in winter in mountain inns and huts. It’s a hearty dish that includes not only pearl barley and some vegetables but also meat. Usually smoked meat like pork knuckle and ribs, but also smoked pork loin. We love it with knuckle and ribs, even though it takes a bit more time to cook the knuckle, but when you make barley soup, you do it right, right?! 😉 Jokes aside, of course, it’s a matter of taste and also what you find at the butcher, so if you don’t find smoked knuckle, feel free to opt for smoked pork loin, but don’t cook it too long, add it only during the last 15 minutes of cooking or so. Another thing that I think adds an extra touch of flavor, but it’s not mandatory, is browning the vegetables separately. You can also add them without browning, or brown them with the barley at the beginning. In this case, however, once your soup is ready, they will be very soft due to the long cooking time. That’s why I brown them separately and add them at the end, so they retain some crunchiness, besides giving an extra touch of flavor! The last tip, which I obviously learned from my mom, is to boil a whole potato with the barley, which is mashed and mixed into the soup before serving, to achieve a creamier consistency.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 1 pork knuckle (small and smoked)
- 3.5 oz pearl barley
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 pork ribs (smoked)
- 2 leaves bay
- to taste salt
- 2 potatoes
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 1/2 leek
- to taste chives or chopped parsley
Steps
To prepare Gerstsuppe, or Tyrolean barley soup, place the knuckle in a pot, cover it with water, and boil for about 1 hour.
After the knuckle has cooked for an hour, remove it from the water, discard the water, wash, and dry the pot. Then, in the same pot, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and toast the barley for a minute, stirring. Add the smoked pork ribs, the knuckle, bay leaves, peeled whole potatoes, and 1.5 liters of water. Salt to taste. Bring to a boil and let it simmer gently for about 45-60 minutes, depending on how long your barley takes to cook; mine cooks in 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash the carrot, celery stalk, and leek. Cut the carrot and celery into cubes and the leek into thin rings. When there are about 15 minutes left for the barley to cook, heat a pan with the remaining two tablespoons of vegetable oil and brown the vegetables for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt them and add the sautéed vegetables to the barley for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Before serving, mash the potatoes and return them to the soup. Also, cut the rib and knuckle meat into small pieces and add them to the barley soup. Adjust the salt if necessary. Serve your Gerstsuppe garnished with chives or chopped parsley and slices of bread for those who like it.
