BLUE WINDOW | Food Travels in the Alps | Gerstensuppe (barley soup)
Gerstensuppe SWITZERLAND barley soup
This recipe, for an enriched gerstensuppe from 1944, was reproduced on the Doazmol website run by Karin Lehner, a fabulous collecton of old recipes. https://doazmol-rezepte.ch
We are standing on the stone-paved forecourt in the half shadow of the century-old chalet on Zweisimmen station. A night fall of light snow has shrouded the lower mountain slopes and the rolling meadows.
Cow bells echo in the distance. The Simmental cows are being brought down to be safe and snug from the winter that beckons.
These are not the only portents for the evolving season. In Bäckerie Tea-Room Rio on Montreuxstrasse several hundred metres from the station, bündnergerstensuppe has been put on the menu.
Rio is one of two premises in the town where they make their own bread, cakes, confections and pastries and pay homage to the rustic food of Switzerland. The other, a little further along, is Cafe Pony Pizza, an establishment that is much more than its name. It also serves a full range of Swiss traditional foods.
Timeless Treats
A small breakfast in both places will feature the small breads that are common in the Berner Oberland, the soft weggli and the flaky gipfeli. Go to Swiss Breads for the recipes.
Rio is open on a Sunday, when a menu of soup, salad, main course and dessert is offered for a modest price.
When that soup is the Graubünden barley soup that is now served in cafes and restaurants throughout the confederation, it is worth the effort to step in.
One of these days we will bring you the recipe from Rio. In the meantime here are some variations.
Gerstensuppe – 1
The barley soup of the mountain cantons, this is the simple version. It is made using a broth from meaty bones, served as a winter warmer. Is often sieved, especially when it is served to the sick.
2 litres meat broth 90 g barley 15 g flour 15 ml water
Wash barley thoroughly in several changes of water. Cook in broth on low heat for three hours, until the barley grains have broken down. Mix flour and water into a paste, stir into soup 15 minutes before serving.
Gerstensuppe – 2
2 litres water 1 bone, large 1 carrot, cubed 1 celery stalk, cubed 1 leek, sliced 1 onion, chopped 90 g barley 25 g pork fat
Wash barley thoroughly in several changes of water. Dry. Put the water in a large pot with the bone. Bring to the boil, remove scum. Sauté barley in fat, add to pot with vegetables, cook on low heat for two hours.
Gerstensuppe – 3
2 litres water Ham bone, large 2 carrots, cubed
1 celery stalk, cubed
1 leek, sliced 100 g barley, soaked overnight 100 g beans, soaked overnight 45 g butter Salt, pinch Pepper, pinch
Put the water in a large pot with the bone. Bring to the boil, remove scum. Sauté vegetables in butter, add to pot with barley and beans, cook on low heat for three hours.
Gerstensuppe – 4
2 litres water 1 kg pork bones 4 leeks, sliced 2 carrots, cubed 2 celery stalks, cubed 100 g barley, soaked overnight 100 g beans, soaked overnight Salt, pinch Pepper, pinch
Put the water in a large pot with the bones. Bring to the boil, remove scum. Add barley, beans and vegetables, cook on low heat for three hours.
Gerstensuppe – 5
2 litres water 500 g pork bones / ribs 200 g bacon piece, cubed 2 carrots, cubed 2 celery stalks, cubed 2 leeks, sliced 100 g barley, soaked overnight 100 g beans, soaked overnight 100 g kohlrabli, chopped 15 g bouillon
Put the water in a large pot with the bones. Bring to the boil, remove scum. Add bacon, barley, beans and vegetables, cook on low heat for three hours.
Gerstensuppe – 6
This is a richer, modern version with less barley.
2 litres water 500 g potatoes 300 g smoked pork 200 g beef 200 g carrots 2 celery stalks, cubed 150 g bacon, cubed small 150 g cabbage leaves, cut into strips 150 g celeriac root, cubed 1 leek, sliced 60 g barley, soaked overnight 10 g black pepper 5 g salt
Bring water to the boil, season, add barley followed by the meat. Cover and simmer over a low heat for three hours, until the beef and pork begins to break up. Add vegetables and cook for a further two hours. Taste for flavour, add more seasonings if needed.
This is an extract from BLUE WINDOW | Food Travels in the Alps.
