Cream of Mushroom & Barley Soup

By mamapig

This sophisticated take on creamy mushroom soup is rich with earthy porcini mushrooms and has the added goodness of whole-grain barley.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 4 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, or mushroom broth (see Shopping Tip), divided
• 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 cup boiling water
• 2 tsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup minced shallots, (ab 4 medium)
• 8 cup sliced white mushrooms, (ab 20 ounces)
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh sage, or 1 tsp. dried
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry sherry, (see Note)
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Bring barley and 1 1/2 cups broth to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, 30 to 35 minutes

Meanwhile, combine porcinis and boiling water in a medium bowl and soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Line a sieve with paper towels, set it over a bowl and pour in mushrooms and soaking liquid. Reserve the soaking liquid. Transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board and finely chop

Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add white mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the porcinis, celery, sage, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Add sherry and cook, stirring, until most of the sherry has evaporated, about 1 minute

Add the soaking liquid and the remaining 3 cups broth; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened, 18 to 22 minutes

Add the cooked barley and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes more. Stir in sour cream until incorporated. Garnish with chives.

TIPS & NOTES Make Ahead Tip: Prepare soup through Step 4. Cover and refrigerate the soup and cooked barley separately for up to 3 days. To serve, combine (Step 5) and reheat

Shopping tip: Look for mushroom broth in aseptic containers in well-stocked supermarkets or natural-foods stores