Creamy Vegetable Soup

I didn't feel like grocery shopping and cleared out everything in my crisper except for citrus.  Also used every ripe tomato, since I still can't amass enough at once to can a quart.

Reviewing my soup category, in case I was duplicating, I seem to use barley a lot in my soups.  It's an easy way to up the nutritional value, is good for the digestion, balances any accidental over-salting, and makes a side dish into a light meal.  Besides, I had the right amount left.  Adding milk to make this a creamier soup was just because I have a lot of milk on hand I'm not going to use before it spoils.  I'll probably have to make cottage cheese next week.

I started the soup by making my own broth, and it smelled pretty fantastic even before the real ingredients went in.  Even my painter wanted to know what I was making.

*1/2 lb carrots, chopped
*1 lb tomatoes, chopped
*1/2 C diced onion
*1 C diced cucumber
1 Tb olive oil
1 qt low-sodium vegetable broth
salt and white pepper to taste
2 Tb fresh basil or 2 tsp dried
*1/2 C milk
*1/2 C dry pearl barley

1.  Bring barley, a light sprinkling of salt, and 3 C water to a boil, lower to a simmer and cover, and let cook while you make everything else.

2.  In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high.  Add onion and cucumber and cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally.

3.  Add vegetable broth, carrots, and tomatoes and bring to a low boil.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until everything is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.  Add basil and cook 5 more minutes.

4.  Purée soup in batches in the blender, checking base seal first (grr…).  Let it run for at least 30 seconds, to make sure everything is very smooth.  Return to heat and stir in milk.  Taste and add seasoning as needed.

5.  To serve, ladle soup into bowls first.  Drain barley and add several generous spoonfuls to each bowl.  Doing it this way, the barley mounds up so the diners can see it's in there.  They can distribute it themselves.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  π