Legume and Grain Soup

To prepare the legume and grain soup, first, soak the beans 1 overnight or for the time indicated on their package. Then place them in a large pot and fill it with cold water 2. Cook for 1 hour from the first boil 3. You can flavor the water with garlic and bay leaves but do not salt it at all, otherwise, the legumes will harden.

In the meantime, dice the peeled carrot 4, celery 5, and onion 6 into about 1/2 of an inch cubes.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes 7. Tie the herbs tightly 8, this way they will be easy to remove at the end of cooking. Shred the tomatoes. Rinse all the legumes and grains. In the meantime, drain the beans. Do not worry if they are still slightly hard, as they will cook further. Pour a good amount of oil at the bottom of a large saucepan. First, add the onion 9 and sauté, stirring for 3-4 minutes.

Then add celery and carrot 10 and sauté for another 2 or 3 minutes. At this point, add the barley 11 and the spelt 12.

Add the two types of lentils, the peas 13, and the drained beans 14. Pour in about 2 quarts of water 15.

Add the tomatoes 16, the bouquet garni 17, and the diced potatoes 18.

Stir and cover with the lid 19. Let it cook from the boiling point for about 40 minutes, over moderate heat, adding more water as needed to adjust the density. Towards the end of cooking, therefore remove the bouquet and season generously with salt and pepper 20. Stir well. Let it rest a few minutes, and serve with a drizzle of raw oil.