This past Sunday morning, if you happened to see me face down on the ice at our neighborhood outdoor skating rink, rest assured, I was not in the middle of a sun salutation yoga pose. I was not even examining the whorls in the ice for evidence of fossils. The only fossil at the rink that day was lying on the ice. Last week I bought a pair of ice skates, looking forward to spending more time with my grandchildren at the local ice rink. It didn’t take me long to seriously question my good judgment in this undertaking.
Mushroom Barley Soup
I decided to limber up and test out my glides and spins (sure, Nanette) before I did a solo outing with the kids. My figure skating skills were quite a bit rustier (ahem) than I remembered and after one spill too many, thankfully the warning horn sounded. It was time to surrender the ice to the Zamboni machine. I took it as a heavenly sign to hang up my skates for the day, go home and make some mushroom barley soup. This recipe by Bonnie Stern originally published in the National Post, is a balm for aching muscles and cold fingers and toes. This afternoon while the grandchildren are skating, I’m going to take their baby brother for a nice long walk in his stroller, an activity that’s exactly my speed. I hope.
Assemble your ingredients. Soak the dried wild mushrooms in 1 1/2 cups boiling water for about 30 minutes. After soaking strain the liquid through a sieve lined with paper towel and reserve the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms well and chop. Prepare the vegetables and aromatics as directed.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot (otherwise known as a Dutch oven). Pat the meat dry and slice into 2 inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper and brown the meat in the oil over medium heat. Remove the meat from the pot and add the chopped onions, minced garlic and sliced leek to the pot. Sauté until the onions are translucent and beginning to soften but not color. Add the chopped celery and carrots. Sauté for an additional 3-5 minutes until beginning to soften. Lower the heat if the onions start to brown. Stir the vegetables from time to time to keep them from sticking. Add the wild and fresh mushrooms. Stir and allow them to soften slightly. Add the barley. Add the meat back to the pot. Cover the contents of the soup pot with 10 cups of water and add two tablespoons of consommé powder. Add the mushroom soaking liquid, one teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper to the pot. When the soup comes to a boil, clap the lid on the pot, lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for 1 1/2 hours. 
Mushroom Barley Soup
Rich chunks of meat suspended in a rich, golden broth with slices of carrot, barley and earthy mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 leek, sliced thinly, white and light green parts only
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 2 6-inch (15-centimeter) pieces beef flanken, fat trimmed and sliced into 2 inch pieces or 1 pound beef chuck, in 2-inch chunks
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped in a medium dice
- 2 stalks celery, diced into small pieces
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 ounce dried wild mushrooms + 1 1/2 cups boiling water for soaking
- 10 cups water
- 2 tablespoons chicken consomme powder
- 1 cup pearl barley
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Assemble your ingredients. Soak the dried wild mushrooms in 1 1/2 cups boiling water for about 30 minutes. After soaking strain the liquid through a sieve lined with paper towel and reserve the liquid. Rinse the wild mushrooms well and chop.
Chop the onion, mince the garlic, dice the celery finely and slice the leek thinly. Set aside. Chop the carrots, and slice the fresh mushrooms. Set the vegetables aside
Heat the oil in a large soup pot (otherwise known as a Dutch oven). Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and slice into 2 inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper and brown the meat in the oil over medium heat.
Remove the meat from the pot and set it aside. Add the chopped onions, minced garlic and sliced leek to the pot. Sauté until the onions are translucent and beginning to soften but not color. Add the chopped celery and carrots. Sauté for an additional 3-5 minutes until they begin to soften. Lower the heat if the onions start to brown. Stir the vegetables from time to time to keep them from sticking.
Add the wild and fresh mushrooms. Stir and allow them to soften slightly. Add the barley. Add the meat back to the pot.
Cover the contents of the soup pot with 10 cups of water and add two tablespoons of consomme powder. Add the mushroom soaking liquid, one teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. When the soup comes to a boil, return the lid to the pot, lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Notes
This soup freezes beautifully. Soup made with pulses thicken when made ahead. If the soup becomes too thick, add water to thin it and season again to taste before serving. For a vegetarian version of this soup, omit the meat.
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