Mushroom Barley Soup

After a long day of Table Tennis, yes you heard me, I decided to make something warm and cozy and Mushroom Barley soup seemed perfect.

The original recipe is from Soup: A Way of Life cookbook (Barbara Kafka) but I made a few modifications because I didn't have dried porcini mushrooms. I added portabella mushrooms to the regular mushrooms for a bit of variety. I also added a bit of sherry to the mushroom mixture for depth of flavor. Because barley swells a lot as it sits, if not using the soup right away, use a third less barley. Mushrooms are a good source of vitamin B.

Mushroom Barley Soup

7 cups water or Mushroom Broth

a few dashes sherry

4 oz. can baby portabella mushrooms

1 cup pearl barley

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4" dice

2 small ribs celery, peeled and cut into 1/4" dice

1 T. soy butter

1 small onion

1/4 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 T. coarsely chopped celery leaves

1/4 cup coarsely chopped dill

4 t. kosher salt

ground pepper

In large pot, add oil and add celery and carrot and barley. Dry cook for several minutes then add 7 cups stock, cook approximately 30 min.

In another pot, add butter and onion. Cook for 8 min. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for another 5 min. Add a few dashes of sherry (optional).

Add mushroom to broth mixture. Add celery leaves, dill, kosher salt and pepper to taste.