vSpicy Grain Soup

By Shaylie

Based on a brothy tortilla
tilla soup, this fiery, substantial soup is full of nutty-tasting barley, brown rice and bulgur, creating a dish that's high in fiber.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• Water
• 1/2 cup short-grain brown rice
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil
• 3 ancho or dried mulato chiles— stemmed, seeded and broken into 2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced2 garlic cloves, halved
• 2 quarts low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 11/2 cups canned diced tomatoes
• 6 cilantro sprigs, plus 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems
• discarded, caps thinly sliced
• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1 medium zucchini, finely diced
• 1 medium parsnip, finely diced
• 1/2 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the barley with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until ten¬der, about 35 minutes; drain. Return the barley to the pan and cover. In another medium saucepan, cover the brown rice with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until ten¬der, about 35 minutes. Drain the brown rice and add to the barley.
2. In a medium bowl, cover the bulgur with 1 cup of hot water. Cover and let stand until the water is absorbed, 10 minutes.
3. In a large, heavy pot, heat the olive oil. Add the chiles, onion and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occa¬sionally, until the onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, cilantro sprigs and allspice and season with 1 tablespoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Bring to a boil. then cover and sim¬mer over low heat for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly. Puree the soup in a blender and return to the pan.
4. Add the mushrooms, black beans, car¬rot, zucchini and parsnip to the pureed soup and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the bar¬ley, rice and bulgur and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and chopped cilantro and serve.