Busters Recipes

Mushroom-Barley Soup

Serves 4-6

7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 ounce dried porcini or morel mushrooms
1/2 cup barley
2 tablespoons butter or mild vegetable oil, such as corn peanut
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped
2 carrots, scrubbed or peeled and sliced
1 parsnip, scrubbed or peeled and sliced
1 to 3 teaspoons tamari/shoyu soy sauce, or to taste
8 ounces fresh domestic white mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1 1/2 cups medium-dry white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh dill or 1 to 2 tablespoons dried
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


1. In a small pot, bring 1 cup of the stock to a boil. Put the dried
mushrooms in a bowl and pour the hot stock over them. Weight them down with
a plate so they stay submerged and let them soak for 1 hour or so.
Meanwhile, precook the barley by bringing it to a boil with 1 more cup of
the stock. Turn down the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer slowly for 25
minutes or so, until the barley is somewhat tender and the liquid is
absorbed.

2. Meanwhile, in a heavy 10-inch skillet, melt the butter or heat the oil
over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add the celery, carrots, and parsnip, and cook another 3 minutes, stirring.
Add the tamari/shoyu, lower the heat, and cook for another 2 minutes,
stirring frequently. Scrape the saute into a large soup pot. Deglaze the
skillet with a little of the remaining stock and add the pan contents to the
soup pot.

3. Add the remaining stock,l the partially cooked barley, the fresh
mushrooms, wine, tomato paste, dill, bay leaves, basil, thyme, and oregano
to the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat until the liquid just
barely simmers. Cover, and let cook for about 1 hour.

4. Towards the end of the hour, remove the dried mushrooms from their
soaking liquid, reserving both the mushrooms and the liquid. Rinse the
mushrooms well to rid them of any lurking grit. Cut them into small dice,
and add them to the simmering soup. Strain the mushroom soaking liquid
through a fine-mesh strainer, and add it also to the soup. Season with salt
and pepper to taste. The soup is now ready--but it's even better the next
day.

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