Hearty Lamb And Barley Soup

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 1/2 lbs lamb shoulder or neck chops
• 1 lb onions, coarsely chopped
• 13 oz carrots, 8 oz coarsely chopped, 5 oz finely chopped
• 4 None celery stalks, 2 stalks coarsely chopped, 2 stalks finely chopped
• 2 None bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 8 sprigs parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3/4 cup pearl barley
• 3 sprigs fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

1. For the lamb stock, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in large saucepan on high heat. Add lamb; cook, in batches, until well browned. Remove from the pan. Heat 1 tbsp oil in same pan. Add onions and coarsely chopped carrots and celery; cook, stirring, until well browned. Return lamb to pan with bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley sprigs, thyme and 4 quarts water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Skim surface and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours, skimming surface occasionally. Strain stock through muslin-lined strainer into large, clean bowl, reserving lamb and discarding vegetables. Refrigerate stock for several hours or overnight. Discard solidified fat from stock surface.
2. Pull meat off bones; reserve meat. Discard bones.
3. Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in large, clean saucepan on medium heat. Add garlic and finely chopped carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until softened. Add barley; stir to coat in mixture.
4. Add oregano and prepared lamb stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, for 30 mins, or until barley is tender. Blend or process 1/3 of the soup until pureed. Return pureed soup to pan.
5. Add reserved lamb meat; simmer, covered, for 5 mins, or until meat is heated through.
6. Just before serving, stir in chopped parsley and lemon juice to taste.

olive oil, lamb shoulder, onions, carrots, celery stalks, bay leaves, black peppercorns, parsley, thyme, garlic, pearl barley, oregano, parsley, lemon juice

Taken from recipes-plus.com/api/v2.0/recipes/30252 (may not work)