MUSHROOM & BARLEY SOUP

By BobD

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 8 ounces butter or margarine
• 1 very large onion or 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped (about 1 pound)
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 4 stalks of celery with leaves,diced
• 3 big carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 2 1/2 cups barley, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt or more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Details

Adapted from events.nytimes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Soak the dried mushrooms in 1 quart hot water for 1 hour. Strain through a filter or cheesecloth. Reserve the water. Coarsely chop the dried mushrooms and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat and sauté onions and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, celery, carrots and 4 tablespoons parsley. Cook until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir until blended. Stir in the mushroom soaking liquid until blended, then stir in the beef broth and 6 cups water. Stir in the barley, soaked mushrooms, 2 tablespoons salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the soup to boiling, stirring frequently, then lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the barley is tender.

Add the remaining parsley, mix thoroughly and add more water if the soup is too thick. Adjust seasonings if necessary.