Mark Bittmans Mushroom Barley Soup Recipes

MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, combine all the stock ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Strain the broth into another large pot. Save the meat, but discard the rest of the solids. If the stock in your new pot is greasy, let it cool for about 15 minutes and then place 6 ice cubes in the pot. The grease will immediately congeal and you can spoon out the ice cubes and grease in one fell swoop. Your homemade beef stock is ready.
• Taste the stock and add salt and pepper to taste. Then add the onion, celery, parsnips, carrots, parsley, pearl barley and sliced mushrooms. Bring to a boil and then add the tomato paste and bay leaves. Simmer 30 minutes, until the barley is soft. Then add the saved beef and cook for another 45 minutes. You can add a little water if too much liquid has evaporated.

MUSHROOM-BARLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Soak porcini in 3 cups very hot water. Put olive oil in a medium saucepan and turn heat to high. Add shiitakes and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Add barley, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown; sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Remove the porcini from their soaking liquid, and reserve liquid. Sort through porcini and discard any hard bits.
• Add porcini to pot and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add bay leaf, mushroom soaking water and 3 cups additional water (or stock, if you prefer). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer; cook until barley is very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Add soy sauce, and taste. Add salt if necessary and plenty of pepper. Serve hot.

MARK BITTMAN'S MUSHROOM STOCK

Steps:

• Toss a pound of trimmed button mushrooms and a few dried porcini into 6 cups water. It need not be more complicated than this, but adding some onion, carrot or celery makes it even better.
• Bring to a boil, and simmer.
• Strain the mushrooms out if you like, but make sure to use them for something.

VERY EASY MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic; cook and stir until onions are tender and transparent. Stir in mushrooms and continue to cook for a few minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and add barley. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 50 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• Soak the dried mushrooms in 5 cups very hot water until soft, anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. When they are tender, remove mushrooms from the soaking liquid with a slotted spoon, reserving the liquid; slice or chop if the pieces are large.
• Meanwhile, put the butter in a large pot that can later be covered over medium heat. When it melts, add the herb, onions and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to medium high, and add the fresh mushrooms; add the soaked mushrooms when they're ready. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms have given off their liquid and begun to brown, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the sherry or Madeira to the pot and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom as the liquor starts to bubble. Add the stock or soaking liquid and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook, covered, until flavors have melded, about 15 minutes.
• Discard the herb. Reduce the heat to low, and purée the liquid with a hand-held mixer to desired consistency. (I like it half-puréed.) Add the cream if you're using it; stir to combine and let simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning; garnish with parsley and serve.

MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP II

Steps:

• Soak the porcini in 3 cups very hot water.
• Put the olive oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over high heat.
• When hot, add the fresh mushrooms and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown.
• Add the barley and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown, 5-10 minutes.
• Sprinkle with a little salt and plenty of pepper and turn off the heat.
• When the porcini are soft, strain them through a strainer and reserve the soaking liquid.
• Sort through and discard hard bits, if any, then coarsely chop the mushrooms.
• Turn the heat to med-high, add the porcini to the pot, and cook, stirring, for about a minute.
• Add the bay leaf, the mushroom soaking water, and the stock.
• Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer the soup; cover and cook until the barley is very tender, 20-30 minutes.
• Add the soy sauce, then taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

MUSHROOM AND BARLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Place the meat and a pinch of salt in a 3-to-4-quart soup pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, skim the foam from the surface, cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for one hour.
• Add the carrot, celery, onion, parsnip and/or parsley root, knob celery and parsley sprigs.
• Remove the dried mushroom caps from their soaking liquid and chop coarsely. Add to the soup. If the soaking liquid is not sandy, add it to the soup.
• Simmer for one hour, then add the barley. Simmer for 30 minutes to one hour more, or until the meat is very tender. If the soup thickens too much add a little boiling water as needed.
• Remove the meat, trim off the fat and cut in chunks or spoonsize pieces. Return to the pot. Vegetables can be diced and returned to soup or eliminated, as you prefer.
• Skim the fat from the surface of the soup. Season to taste and sprinkle in the dill if desired. Serve each portion of soup and meat with half a large (or 1 small) boiled potato.

POLISH MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Soak porcini in 3 cups of very hot water.
• Put olive oil in medium saucepan; turn heat to medium-high. Add shiitakes and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add barley and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Remove porcini from liquid--do NOT discard the liquid. Sort thru and discard any hard bits. Add porcini to the pot. Cook, stirring for about 1 minute.
• Add bay leaf, mushroom liquid, and 3 cups additional water (or stock). Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook until barley is very tender, 20-30 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary, plus plenty of pepper.
• Serve hot or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before reheating, adding a little more water to thin the soup if necessary.

LUCCAN FARRO SOUP (MARK BITTMAN)

Steps:

• Put oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat; a minute later add onion, celery, carrots, a large pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, and stir; add farro, beans, tomatoes and stock, and stir.
• Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until farro and beans are tender, at least an hour, adding stock or water as necessary if mixture becomes too thick. Stir in parsley and basil (if using), then cook another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with lots of Parmesan.

MARK BITTMAN'S FAST VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Using a large, deep pot over medium heat, heat two tablespoons (30 mL) of the oil and cook onion, carrot, celery and garlic.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook just until onion softens, about five minutes.
• Add stock, tomatoes and remaining vegetables and bring to a boil. Immediately lower heat so mixture bubbles, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and add remaining one tablespoon oil. Serve hot.