Mushroom Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 0.8 cup barley rinsed
• 8 servings pepper black freshly ground
• 1 large carrots diced peeled
• 2 stalks celery diced with leaves,
• 0.5 ounce porcini mushrooms dried
• 1 tablespoon flour all-purpose
• 0.8 pound mushrooms fresh trimmed thinly sliced
• 0.3 cup parsley fresh chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt 
• 1 quart beef broth low-sodium
• 1 medium onion diced
• 6 tablespoons butter unsalted

Equipment

• bowl
• sieve
• dutch oven
• cheesecloth

Directions

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.
2. Melt the butter in a large, heavy stockpot or Dutch oven over mediumhigh heat.
3. Add the onions and sauté until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes more.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley before serving.
8. Reprinted with permission from Russ & Daughters by Mark Russ Federman, © 2013 Mark FedermanMARK RUSS FEDERMAN, grandson of founder, Joel Russ, took over the running of Russ & Daughters from his parents in 1978 and turned it over to the fourth generation, his daughter, Niki, and nephew Josh, in 200
9. He has appeared individually on panels at the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of the City of New York, the New York Public Library, and the conference of the Association of Food Journalists, among other venues. Mark and Russ & Daughters were most recently featured on the PBS documentary The Jews of New York; on Lidia Bastianich's PBS series Lidia Celebrates America; and on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.