Ingredients
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Preparation
Step 1
Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover them with 2 cups of boiling water. Allow them to soak for 1 hour. Strain the mushrooms through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a bowl. Reserve the liquid. Coarsely chop the mushrooms and set aside.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a large, heavy stockpot or Dutch oven over mediumhigh heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Add the fresh mushrooms, celery, carrot, and half of the parsley, and sauté until the mushrooms are golden and the celery and carrots are beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in the fl our until well blended. Stir in the mushroom soaking liquid, soaked mushrooms, beef broth, and 4 cups of water. Stir in the barley, salt, and pepper to taste.
Step 3
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the barley is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add a little more water. Adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley before serving.
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Reviews (13)
Back to TopI think that I will not leave a review. My mother said, if you don't have anything nice to say, remain silent. Okay here goes.
Silent as the Grave
Silenceville
12/5/2021
Delicious soup, although like other reviewers I left out the extra 4 c. of water (it is thick but that much extra water would dilute it too much). I might suggest adding a little extra but wait until it's finished cooking b/c you may not need it. In the interest of making it healthier, I also cut the amount of fat and used about 2 T. of butter and 2 T. of olive oil -- seemed more than sufficient. I think I may try it next time with mushroom broth instead of beef broth, but it had a nice, rich, but delicate flavor before I added the beef broth. I used a full pound of sliced baby bella mushrooms as well as the dried mushrooms (a 'medley' b/c porcini was unavailable) and I think it makes a difference, although I would have preferred the porcini flavor. Next time! A good, hearty, healthy and flavorful soup I will definitely make again!
Mary
Scottsdale, AZ
11/6/2021
I thought this soup was great. My grocery store was out of dried mushrooms, so I made it with two packages of fresh mushrooms--baby bellas and buttons. Since I didn't have the two cups of water from the dried mushrooms, I went ahead and added the whole 4 cups of water and it was absolutely delicious. Great umami. If I had the two cups from the mushrooms, I would not have added the 4 cups of water. In that case, I'd be inclined to agree with other reviewers that that much water would dilute it too much.
Jenn
Summit, NJ
10/28/2021
This soup is delicious. The barley adds great texture. It's similar to beef barley soup without the beef. I used dried porcini and a mix of white and baby portobello mushrooms. I sauteed the veggies in 50-50 butter and cooking olive oil. I did not add 4 cups of water, but added some water after the barley soaked up the liquids. I added a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon beef concentrate to give the soup some depth after adding the water. A quick and hearty soup that I definitely would make it again!
Irene
Houston, TX
10/19/2021
The soup is delicious! I can't stop eating it. Textures are so fun in your mouth. I put dried shritakes and fresh king oyster and button mushrooms because that's what I had. Also o added spices: fresh ginger and rosemary and dried thyme, basil, parsley, bay leaf and oregano. I also cut the water down a little bit and added zuccini because it's growing out of control in my back yard. I made it vegan with veggie broth. If you feel like experimenting with spices you have this is such a fulfilling and yummy dish! Thank you!
Sonja
San Francisco
10/3/2021
near the bottom it says 4 cups of water, WHY so much, the soup tastes watered down down; it tasted better before that extra amount of water, which adds up to 10 cups of liquid altogether! 2 cups from soaking dried porcini, plus 4 cups of broth, plus another 4. IS THAT A TYPO? Then it says that if soup too thick, then add a bit more water. That 'add 4 cups of water' should be 2 cups, if at all
annie3.aml
canada
4/20/2020
Amazing!!! I made it without the dry mushrooms and it was still delicious!!
spineyro
Vancouver, BC Canada
1/13/2016
Delicious soup! Made it early in the day for lunch and I am having trouble not eating a bowl for breakfast! I made a few small changes based on the other reviews. I used half butter and half olive oil in the first step. I also added some sherry to the vegetables for the last few minutes of cooking. Finally I used mushroom broth instead of beef broth to make it vegetarian and I did not add any extra water. Doesn't seem necessary to me.
tia
Downingtown, PA
2/21/2015
Agreed with the too much water comments. I reduced it down a bit, served it and then let the rest reduce even more. I think the second day it will be thicker.
erkasle
Great Neck, NY
2/9/2015
This is a great hearty soup, but the additional 4 cups of water has to be a misprint, as someone mentioned in a previous review. I added an additional cup or 2 of broth, a bay leaf, some dried thyme and a slug of sherry. Delicious!
JuliaHolcomb
Chapel Hill, NC
1/8/2015
I modified the recipe by only adding one cup of add'l water (instead of 4), I also added 1 C of dry red wine, 1/2 C heavy cream, 1 bay leaf and half teaspoon of sage. Prior to adding the add'l ingredients, I found the soup to be flat, as well. It seems "tastier" now. It was lacking "depth" of flavor, I thought. I will make it again with my modifications.
NanoGoodEats
Minneapolis
1/13/2014
Very disappointed. Flavor was very weak. I made the soup exactly as written. I used my own beef broth and perhaps that was the problem. The soup was very watery so I had to "beef it up". I added concentrated beef base, a large sprig of fresh thyme, doubled the barley, a generous splash of balsamic vinegar, and then added a parmesan cheese rind. The verdict was that it tasted like parmesan cheese. It was good and looked like the picture, but it wasn't the soup of the recipe. I wondered if the recipe, with the added 4 cups of water, was actually a misprint.
ehenyey
Seattle
1/7/2014
Very tasty soup! If you love mushrooms, you'll love this recipe. I used dried Shiitake mushrooms and a mix of fresh baby bellas and white mushrooms. It's a surprisingly hearty soup and great for a weeknight dinner. I will definitely be making this again.
Anonymous
Fort Collins, CO
11/26/2013
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