Share the Day Saturday-Mushroom Barley Soup

40 Days-40 Days Lenten Recipes 

Today is a guest post from someone who is an awesome cook and a great friend. She shared here as one of last year's Lenten Guest posts. It was delish and has become a favorite around here, I look forward to trying this one too! Thanks for sharing sweets!

Mushroom-Barley Soup

Loosely adapted from Fields of Greens by Anne Somerville

A very tasty ‘meaty’ soup.  

I can imagine it would taste good with lentils too.

Ingredients

vegetable stock, about 8 cups

½ oz dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in ½ cup warm water for about 10 minutes

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 yellow onions, diced (about 2 cups)

½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp pepper

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped and divided

½ cup dry red wine, divided

1 small carrot, diced, about ¾ cup

1 large celery rib, diced, about ¾ cup

1/3 cup pearl barley

2 bay leafs

1 ½ pounds white and baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)

1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  soy sauce

Make or warm the stock and keep it warm over low heat.  Strain the porcini but keep the liquid.  Finely chop the porcini and set aside.  Heat the butter in a soup pot and add the onion, salt, pepper.  Saute onion until it softens, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the porcini and half the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.  Then add ¼ cup of wine and the liquid from the porcini and cook for 2-4 minutes (or until pan is nearly dry).  Add the carrot, celery, barley, bay leafs and a quart of stock.  

Bring soup to a boil, cover the pot and lower to medium.  Let it simmer for 30-40 minutes (until barley is tender).  While the vegetables and barley are cooking, sear the mushrooms (in 2 or 3 batches) in a skillet over high heat using ½ tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and a little pepper in each batch.  As the mushrooms cook, they will release juices, which will then evaporate allowing the mushrooms to sear and start sticking.  DO NOT STIR.  Wait until they are golden, stir once, wait a minute and then stir for a minute.  Add some garlic, a splash of soy sauce, some of the remaining wine and stock to deglaze.  Add this (and the pan juices) to the soup pot and repeat the process with the next batch of mushrooms.  Add the remaining stock and some fresh herbs if you’d like.  

ENJOY WITH SOME CRUSTY BREAD!

Thanks for sharing the day