Mushroom and Barley Soup
Fresh and dried mushrooms, chopped vegetables, and tender pearl barley make up this hearty and satisfying mushroom barley soup.
It’s a delicious vegetarian dish, that has texture and an incredible depth of flavour.
The Mushrooms
Don’t be tempted to leave out the dried mushrooms as they add a deeper, woodsier flavour to the soup.
For the fresh mushrooms you can use one type of mushroom, or assorted varieties for different textures and flavours as well as visual interest.
In this batch of soup, I’ve used four cups of sliced cremini mushrooms and a cup of shitake mushrooms.
Taking the time to brown the fresh mushrooms and toast the barley before adding in the stock adds a deeper layer of flavour to the soup.
Leftovers
One of the drawbacks for leftovers with any soup that has a grain or pasta is all the liquid disappears! This soup is no exception. As it sits, the barley continues to absorb broth.
When reheated it loosens up a bit, to a consistency resembling a mushroom barley risotto. Still delicious, as the mushroom flavours will have intensified. To turn it back into soup, simply add a little more water or stock to thin.
Leftover soup will keep, refrigerated for 4-5 days.
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large stock pot
Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4-5 cups mixed mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 4 cups mushroom stock (substitute vegetable or chicken stock)
- 1 tbsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, cover the dried mushrooms with the boiling water and let soak until softened, 10 -15 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid and roughly chop the mushrooms. Set aside.
- Clean and slice the fresh mushrooms. Peel the onion and carrot, then chop both and the celery into a medium size dice. Crush the garlic
- Heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot over med-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned, draining any excess liquid released by the mushrooms into the bowl with the dried mushrooms.Once the mushrooms are brown, remove them from the pot and set side.
- Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to the same pot then add the onions, celery, and carrot. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and pearl barley and allow the barley to toast and lightly brown, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the browned mushrooms, thyme, sage and a few good grinds of fresh black pepper and give everything a good stir.
- Next add the stock, the dried mushrooms and their reserved soaking liquid to the pot and bring to a rolling boil for 5 minutes, then turn heat down. Cover and let simmer over low heat for about 30-45 minutes until the barley is tender and cooked through.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more sage, salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve with some grilled or toasted crusty bread and enjoy!