Ingredients
The following ingredients have 11 Servings
- 2 tablespoons butter or canola oil (I prefer the flavor butter imparts)
- 2 cups diced yellow onions
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 2 cups diced celery
- 1 cup chopped leeks (white and light green parts only)
- 1 pound fresh white button mushrooms, half sliced, and half diced
- 8 cups chicken broth (low sodium) or chicken stock
- 1 mushroom bouillion cube, dissolved in 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
Instruction
- In a large soup pot saute the onions, carrots, celery and leeks in the melted butter or oil over medium to medium high heat.
- Saute for 10-12 minutes until the vegetables are soft and transparent, but not browned, adjusting heat as necessary.
- Clean the mushrooms by wiping them off with a damp paper towel before dicing and slicing. Add the mushrooms to the vegetables and cook for another 5-8 minutes.
- Stir the mushroom bouillion cube into the 2 cups boiling water. Add this with the 8 cups of broth to the soup pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.
- Add the barley, dill, parsley, salt and pepper. Continue to simmer on low heat, with the pot partially covered, for one hour until the barley is tender.
- Check for seasoning. Serve in big bowls with a bit of chopped dill or parsley on top, and a hunk of bread for dunking. It is even better the next day!
- Note:The soup will thicken as it sits because the barley tends to absorb the broth. When reheating you may want to adjust the consistency by adding a small amount of water. This soup also freezes well.
