I Make Soup: Mushroom Barley Edition

My last encounter with barley was in December. I spent New Years Eve vacationing in the mountains, nearly snowed in with a bunch of great friends. So I made barley soup for everyone. Not exactly the life of the party, but good hearty eating for sure.


Although not currently snowed in, I decided that today was a perfect day to make soup. In mid-January San Diego is still a sunny 65 degrees, but it was a little breezy today so it felt a bit like winter. (I'm really stretching it here, I know.) As I sat in my backyard enjoying the sun, helping my husband brew a batch of Steam Beer, the smell of malted grain and barley got to me. (Yes, I am married to a brewer!) He turns barley into beer, I turn barley into soup. I think it's a good set of talents to have in one household.

The first step in prepping this soup is to pour yourself a fine beverage, preferably one that pairs well with hearty soup. This Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir from Au Bon Climat is a favorite of ours. I can attest that it was certainly a pleasure to cook with a glass of this in hand.


A Quick note: The thing about barley soup is that it takes commitment. Once you get some broth boiling and toss in the barley, it takes over an hour to cook the grains. An hour and a half even if you use hulled barley. Perfect if you've got an afternoon to putter around the stove; not so good for a last minute weeknight dinner. Also, in this soup vegetables are added near the end, allowing them to cook until just tender without turning them to mush. Enjoy!


Mushroom Barley Soup.
Yield: 1 pot!
4-6 cups vegetable broth (Trader Joe's brand or homemade are my favorites)
1 cup barley (pearled cooks faster, hulled barley is higher in fiber)
1 can diced tomatoes, or 2 actual diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt, but reduce if using packaged broth containing salt
several grinds of black pepper
2-4 cups water, as needed
1-2 carrots
2-3 ribs celery
8 ounces cremini mushrooms
plus broccoli, cabbage, or other assorted vegetables.

In a large soup pot over plenty of heat, bring the broth to a boil. Add the barley, tomatoes, pepper and salt, then let liquid return to a boil. Turn the heat down and allow the barley to cook at a generous simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The barley will soak up a lot of liquid, so add water as needed to keep everything well hydrated.

While the broth and barley simmers on the stove filling your house with great aromas, chop up the carrot, celery, and mushrooms. If you've got them, now is the time to also chop broccoli, cabbage, etc. After 1 hour of cooking the barley, add in the chopped vegetables. Slightly lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook the soup for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the barley is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender. Taste for salt before serving.