Mushroom Barley Soup (With Beef Broth)
Image by Flickr
A hearty dish for the cold weather, this recipe combines dried porcinis with regular mushrooms for a rich flavor.
Related
Meat
Serves 10–12
½ cup dried porcini mushrooms or similar
2 tablespoons parve margarine + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped white onions
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
3 large carrots, sliced
6–8 parsley sprigs; more to garnish
2 tablespoons flour
2 quarts beef broth, de-fatted
2½ cups barley, rinsed
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1) Soak dried mushrooms in 1 quart boiling water for about 30 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Discard woody stems; coarsely chop and reserve the filtered liquid.
2) Melt the margarine and oil 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 parsley sprigs. Cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the flour, stirring until blended. Stir in the mushroom soaking liquid, then the beef broth and 6 cups water. Add the barley, soaked mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste.
3) Heat the soup to boiling, lower heat, cover the pot and simmer about 45 minutes, until barley swells and is tender. Stir occasionally.
4) Adjust seasoning, mix well and add more water if soup is too thick. Flavor improves if refrigerated overnight. Serve hot garnished with parsley leaves. Thin with water if necessary.
Note: Freeze some for a second meal. Freeze 2 cups soup in a 1-quart zip-top bag. Press out air bubbles; lay flat in the freezer to stack several together.
Joan Kekst lives and cooks in Cleveland.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
