Meaty Mushroom Barley Soup
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cooking Time: 1-1/2 hours
- Serves: 12
Hot and satisfying, a good soup can restore your health and mood on the coldest of days, arming you with renewed strength and energy. The following recipe is one of my favorite winter soups and is certainly hearty enough to be considered a meal in and of itself. The best soups are made with the best ingredients, so look for the freshest vegetables and the leanest flanken you can find, and don’t forget to freeze a container to warm up a cold night to come.
White mushrooms can be used exclusively in this soup, but a combination of mushroom varieties will add more depth of flavor. Cremini and/or baby bella mushrooms are wonderful choices in addition to the white mushrooms.
- Part of Meal: Soup
- Food Type: Meat
- Service Temp: Warm
- 1/3 cup(s) dried porcini or wild mushrooms
- 1-1/2 to 2 pounds beef flanken, cut into 6-8 pieces
- 3 quart(s) (12 cups) water
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 large celery stalks, sliced
- 2 large or 3 small carrots, sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 cup(s) pearl barley
- 1 tablespoon(s) kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup(s) chopped parsley, for garnishing
- Soak the dried mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for 20-30 minutes.
- Strain the mushrooms in a sieve, reserving the water, and then coarsely chop the dried mushrooms.
- Place 3 quarts of water (not the mushroom water) and flanken in a large soup pot (at least 8-quart) over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and skim off the foam that rises to the surface.
- After all the impurities have been removed, add all of the remaining ingredients, including the chopped dried mushrooms and the reserved mushroom water. Stir and raise heat until soup is boiling.
- Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer for one hour.
- Season to taste with plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper. If soup is too thick, add some additional water.
- Ladle soup into bowls, giving each serving a generous portion of the flanken. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
Naomi Ross teaches Cooking Concepts, courses on cooking skills and kitchen management for the Jewish woman. For more information, visit her website at www.jewishcookingconcepts.com. Naomi can be reached at CookingConcepts@gmail.com.