Pearl barley soup with meat sausage and meatballs

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 200 g pearl barley
• 4 large potatoes, waxy
• 400 g minced meat, fine, seasoned
• 500 g meat sausage with garlic, from the ring
• 200 g soup vegetables, frozen
• 1 large onion(s)
• 2 liters of vegetable broth or meat broth
• Pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes

Bring about 2 liters of unsalted water to a boil in a 5-liter pot with the lid on. Then add the pearl barley, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot, as the pearl barley should float. Meanwhile, peel and dice the potatoes, peel and dice the onion, and peel and dice the sausage. Rinse the pearl barley in a colander with cold water. Clean the pot. Then return the pearl barley to the pot and add about 1.5 liters of vegetable or meat stock. From now on, the water should simmer rather than boil. First, add the diced potatoes and onion and simmer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, form the minced meat into small balls. I prefer the thin sausage rolls from the butcher, as I can squeeze the minced meat out of the casing in portions, making it easier to form the balls. Now add the frozen soup vegetables and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the sausage cubes and finally the minced meat balls, which should just cook until tender. Before serving, the soup should sit for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight, and then season to taste. I usually only use freshly ground pepper.