Tomato & Kale Soup with Barley

From Moosewood Daily Special Cookbook

Ingredients
1/3 cup pearled barley
1 bay leaf
5 cups water
7 sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil
1/2 cup hot water
1 TBL canola or other vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 cups undrained canned tomatoes (chopped) 28 ounce can.
2 tsp minced fresh dill
pinch of cayenne
t tsp salt
2 cups loosely packed rinsed, stemmed and chopped kale
ground black pepper to taste
(optional--Feta Cheese)

DIRECTIONS
Combine the barley, bay leaf and water in a nonreactive soup pot.
Cover and bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes until the barley is tender.

Meanwhile, place the sundried tomatoes in a small heatproof bowl, cover with hot water and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes.

While the sun-dried tomatoes soak, warm the oil in a small skillet. Add th onions and garlic and saute for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent. Remove from the heat.

When the barley is cooked, remove the bay leaf and stir in the sauteed onions an garlic, canned tomatoes, dill, cayenne and salt.

Drain the sun dried tomatoes, reserving the soaking liquid. Dice and add them with their soaking liquid to the soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Add the kale, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Season to taste with pepper.

Garnish each bowl with fresh dill sprig and top with crumbled feta cheese if you'd like.