Healthy and Flavorful Mushroom Barley Soup

Like so many other folks, I overdosed on sugar during the holidays. Making three flavors of homemade caramels, and being surrounded by boxes of See's chocolates and cookies, at my office, made my pancrease work overtime. By the time I packed up our Christmas decorations, I was craving vegetables.

I had a package of cremini mushrooms, and I was trying to decide on what to make with them. I was looking for a healthier way of using them, other than on top of a cheese laden pizza...

A year ago, I won a copy of America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, signed by Christopher Kimball. If you look at my recipe index, you will see that I have made any of their recipes (including Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country). I decided to revisit the recipes in this book, and the Mushroom-Barley Soup sounded perfect, given that we were in the middle of a California "cold snap" (which is nothing compared to those of you who live in the Chicago area).

The key ingredient that makes this soup so flavorful are the dried porcini mushrooms. This might be an elusive ingredient to find, and it can cost up to $80.00 a pound! I was able to buy a 2 ounce bag for just under $10.00. I didn't take my usual step-by-step photos because winter deprives me of natural lighting during the dinner hour. I think anyone can make this recipe, by just following the recipe. This recipe includes cremini and Portobello mushrooms. I decided to substitute the Portobello mushrooms for shiitakes-- which is one of the few mushrooms that my husband really likes. I think it's fine to interchange what mushrooms you prefer, but don't skip using the porcini mushrooms!

The soup is pretty straightforward to make. Cooking time is about 50 minutes, because barley can take that long to cook. I decided to shave off 30 minutes of the cooking time, by using my pressure cooker to prepare the barley-- which took a total of 20 minutes. While the barley was cooking, I prepped the onion, carrots and mushrooms.

I was very pleased with the outcome of this soup recipe, as was my son. My husband ate it, but he just doesn't get all that excited about mushroom soup. More for us! The pearl barley adds a nice texture, and I love the nuttiness of this grain. To make this soup a true vegetarian dish, I see no reason why vegetable broth can't be substituted for chicken broth-- which I used.

TASTING NOTES: Adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice gave a nice balance of acidity, IMHO. My absolutely favorite soup is Cream of Mushroom soup. The difference is that this soup is healthier because there isn't any heavy cream in it. I would definitely make this soup again, and not feel one iota of guilt for having seconds-- which is exactly what I did!

Enjoy!