Bowl of Barley & Mushroom Soup
(click to enlarge)

Barley & Mushroom Soup


Latvia   -   miežun sēņu zupa   |   Lithuania   -   Perlinių Kruopų Sriuba su Grybais   -   Poland Sopa de Cebada y Champiñones
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 8 cup
**
2 hr
Yes		 A very satisfying soup course or lunch soup, served hot or cold, vegetarian or not. See also Comments.

2/3
1
6
3
3
1
1/4
3
1
-------
2
3
c
#
oz
oz
c
t
t
T
c
---

T
Barley (1)
Mushrooms (2)  
Onion
Lemon Juice
Broth (3)
Salt
Pepper
Oil
Sour Cream
-- Garnish
Eggs chopped
Dill
Do Ahead   -   (30 min - 7 min work)
  1. IF Using:   Hard boil EGGS for Garnish, (see Boiling Eggs for best method). Shell, cool, and chop fairly fine.
Prep   -   (25 min)
  1. Cut MUSHROOMS in half top down (if large, leave whole if small) Slice crosswise 1/8 inch thick at 90° from first cut.
  2. Dice ONION small.
  3. Squeeze LEMON JUICE.
  4. Chop DILL fairly fine for Garnish
Run   -   (1-3/4 hr)
  1. Rinse Barley well.
  2. In a suitable sauce pan (3 quart), heat Oil and fry Onions, stirring until translucent but no browning.
  3. Stir in Mushrooms and fry stirring until they have given up most of their liquid, around 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in Lemon Juice, Barley, and Broth. Bring to a boil and simmer covered until Barley is tender (1-1/2 hrs or so). If using lightly pearled barley, stir now and then, but for fully pearled Barley, stir it up from the bottom often.
  5. Adjust Water if needed. Season with Salt and Pepper.
  6. Whip SOUR CREAM until it is perfectly smooth. Take the pot off the heat and vigorously whip in Sour Cream a little at a time. If needed, reheat, but not to a boil, 170°F / 80°C or so is fine.
  7. Serve hot or chilled, garnished with Chopped Egg and Dill.
NOTES:

  1. Barley, Pearled:

      I prefer a lightly pearled barley that still has a little color. It has more flavor and is better behaved in cooking than white fully milled barley.

  2. Mushrooms:

      Regular White Mushrooms work quit well here, but most Polish and Lithuanian cookbooks ask for Dried Porcini Mushrooms. These should be soaked 30 minutes and chopped coarse before using.

  3. Broth:

      In Lithuania and Poland, vegetable broth is often used on Catholic meatless days. Chicken or Pork broth can also be used. For Vegetable Broth Polish or General are good guides.

  4. Comments:

      If making ahead for buffet service, stop short of adding Sour Cream. When serving time approaches, heat back to a simmer, take off the heat and whip in Sour Cream as noted above, then pour into a Slow Cooker set to "Keep Warm".
  5. U.S. measure:   t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
pog_barlmr1 230901 ell26 & var   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@clovegarden.com - Linking and non-commercial use permitted