Mushroom Barley Soup
We are off to a Soup Night later on at our good friend’s, Dave D. Ever since a local winery has hosted soup days during the winter, where they have several soups available paired with wines, we decided it’d be cheaper (well maybe not after buying all the ingredients and wine) and more fun to do it ourselves! So every so often someone hosts a Soup Night where everybody brings a soup they’ve made and a bottle of wine that goes well with your particular soup, and shares with that with everyone.
I’ve decided to make a Mushroom Barley Soup for tonight. It’s a good hearty soup that goes perfectly with the cold winter days. I’ve made this before following one of 3 particular recipes, but today I’m making this my own.
Ingredients include:
(Try to use organic!)
• 2 TBS of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1 TBS of minced garlic
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 5 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 cup of crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup of pearled barley
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups of Vegetable Broth (reduced sodium)
• 2 TBS of soy sauce
Prepare your ingredients. Put your olive oil into a soup pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper for about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and carrots, and cook until the mushrooms get brown (about 5 minutes). Stir in your barley and stir constantly for about 5 minutes, until the barley starts to toast and stick. Add your veggie broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cover and Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the soy sauce, taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve and enjoy! (Now since this has a few hours until we are heading to the gathering, I will pour into a crockpot and leave on warm until everyone gets to enjoy.)
January 10th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Note: This was a hit at the party. Everyone loved it. There were probably 12 soups to choose from at this gathering though, and all of them were delicious! As the soup sat longer in the crockpot, the thicker the broth got which, I think, made it perfect.
January 11th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
This was a great idea! My mouth was doing a happy dance by the end of the evening.
Here’s a recipe for
CARROT THYME SOUP
It’s not fancy but is comforting to the innards. Was adapted from an old Boston Cooking School cook book of my mother’s.
1 lb peeled and shredded or very finely chopped carrots
1 medium onion
1 cup good chicken stock
1 large garlic section, finely minced
1 bay leaf
1 t. dried thyme (do your own, if possible)
1 good quality chicken bouillion cube
2 oz. (a half stick) butter
2 cups whole milk
coarse pepper and salt to taste
Melt butter in a large frying pan. Add onion, garlic and carrots. Cover and put on low-moderate heat until veggies are soft — about 10 minutes. Add liquids, cube and spices. Simmer 15 minutes. (Don’t burn!) Remove bay leaf.
Liquidize to the consistency you like. Some people like a few carrot lumps. Some don’t.
This is nice on a winter evening (when you’re not worrying so much about fat), served with grilled cheese sandwiches. Nice to use Cabot’s hunter cheese and a little shredded mozzarella, with thinly sliced tomato and fresh basil leaves. Grill in a mild olive oil instead of butter.
January 12th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
17 Bean soup with vegetables
Ingredients:
Trader Joe’s 17 bean mixture
2 TBS olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
32 oz can diced tomatoes
½ cup corn
½ cup peas
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 TBS Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Preparation:
Soak beans overnight in water, make sure the beans are completely covered.
In large pot, add the olive oil, onion, carrots and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes; until they are soft. Add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Rinse off the beans, than add to the pot with 4 cups of vegetable broth. Let this simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, corn, peas and red pepper. Add the thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup simmer for about 1 ½ hours. Periodically check the pot, add more broth if the liquid is getting low.
When corn is in season, I suggested using it fresh instead of frozen. If you are using fresh corn, try fire roasting them. Place the corn kernels in a skillet on a high heat and roast them until they start to char. You can add other vegetables to the soup as well.
January 13th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Such a magical night. I may not play a fiddle … or sing … but am very happy to share my recipe. Hope you all enjoy!
Ingredients
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oi
* 4 thick slices pancetta, chopped
* 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
* 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 medium to large onion, finely chopped
* 2 medium carrots, slice
* 1 medium, skinny zucchini, cut into thin slices
* Salt and pepper
* 1/2 cup dry red wine or more to taste
* 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
* 6 cups beef stock
* 4 cups, about 1/2 pound, chopped or torn stale bread
* 2 (15-ounce), small white beans(I use Goya)
* 4 cups chopped kale or chard
* 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to pass at table
Directions
Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and the the pancetta and render 4 minutes. Add rosemary, the garlic, 3/4 of the onions, carrots and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Saute the veggies 7 to 8 minutes, then add wine and deglaze the pot. Stir in the tomatoes and stock and bring up the heat. When soup boils, reduce to a simmer and stir in bread and beans. Pile the greens into the pot and wilt them into the soup. Simmer the ribollita 5 to 10 minutes, stirring soup as it simmers until it thickens to a dense stew-like consistency. A wooden spoon should be able to stand upright in the pot. Turn off heat, adjust seasonings and ladle into shallow bowls. Top with grated cheese, an additional drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a spoonful of reserved finely chopped raw onions.