Mushroom Barley Soup

My favorite place to eat when skiing on Aspen/Snowmass was Gretl's and is now Bonnie's. The soups are great; I hope for the Hungarian Mushroom Soup but am happy with the White Bean Chili.  One day this trip the special was Mushroom Barley Soup which I tried and really liked.  When I returned home I was delighted to find the recipe in Bonnie's at 1:00.  The cold spring weather prompted me to try this recipe immediately (my adaptions are in brackets)! GOOD? The only thing missing was a warm piece of  Apple Strudel to finish the lunch.

In a 3 quart saucepan, bring to a boil:

2 c vegetable stock [I make with Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base]
1 c barley

Cover and lower to a simmer.  Cook until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.  [Check at 20 and 25 minutes.  Barley will absorb most all of the water and begin to burn on bottom of pan if cooked too long!]

In a 5 - 6 quart kettle, saute:

4 T [1/4 c] vegetable oil [I use olive oil]
2 c yellow onions, chopped [~10.5 oz chopped, ~11.5 oz whole unpeeled onion(s)]
1 t salt [I omit - I think tamari sauce provides enough saltiness]
1 bay leaf [I omit - if used, remove before serving]

Add and simmer 5 minutes:

1 1/2 # mushrooms [cleaned  - OK to use water as well as brush], sliced [halve, then slice large mushrooms]

5 cloves garlic, sliced [I mince, ~2 T total]
1/4 t white pepper [I use black pepper]

Add the cooked barley to the mushroom mixture along with:

6 c vegetable stock
1/4 c tamari sauce
1/2 c sherry.

Simmer for about an hour.

"Garnish with fresh dill, grind a generous amount of black pepper into the soup bowls and serve immediateldy"*

I garnish with greens on hand - chopped parsley, sliced scallion greens......

* Page 83

Reviewed 7/9/2017