Mushroom-Barley Soup

When the weather outside is like this:

It’s time for a big bowl of this:

"This" is a big bowl of Mushroom-Barley soup.

It’s really simple to throw together and makes a pretty hearty meal . It’s also really simple—although it needs to simmer for at least two hours so the barley can get tender.

Mushroom-Barley Soup
¼ cup of canola oil
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 lbs. of mushrooms* (I used 1 lb. white button mushrooms and 1 lb. of cremini)
4 cloves, crushed
3 quarts beef broth
1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
Salt & pepper to taste

Sautee the onion, carrot, and celery in a large pot.
 

Once those begin to soften, add all the mushrooms and the garlic, cover the pot and let veggies cook down.

You have to do this in order to have room to add those 3 quarts of beef broth and the pearl barley.

  

Now let the soup simmer for at least two hours. Make sure to serve the soup with bread-- yum!

*According to the notes on my recipe card, you can substitute ½ cup of dried mushrooms for 1 pound of fresh mushrooms. Soak the dried mushrooms for 20 minutes in hot water, strain, and add them to the soup. You can also add the mushroom soaking liquid to the soup, just be careful not to get any ‘shroom grit in the soup (you can strain the broth through a coffee filter).

Here are a couple more winter scenes: