Mushroom Barley Soup

By marck

This came from the New York Times food blog "Bitten."

Ingredients

• 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 cup)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 lb shiitake or button mushrooms, stemmed and roughly chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 C pearl barley
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 C vegetable stock
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• (Some also added some garlic and/or a few Tbsp of dry sherry vinegar as well)

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Soak porcini in 3 cups very hot water. Put olive oil in a medium saucepan and turn heat to high. Add shiitakes and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Add barley, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown; sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Remove the porcini from their soaking liquid, and reserve liquid. Sort through porcini and discard any hard bits.

2. Add porcini to pot and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add bay leaf, mushroom soaking water and stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer; cook until barley is very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Add soy sauce, and taste. Add salt if necessary and plenty of pepper. Serve hot.