Mushroom Barley Soup

Name: Mushroom Barley Soup
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: jewish
Ingredients: 3 pounds beef bones; 1 pound chuck, cubed; 1 onion, quartered; 4 celery stalks, sliced in half; 4 carrots, sliced in half; 1 bay leaf; water to cover; 8 cups beef stock (see tip); Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; 1 large onion, quartered; 8 celery stalks, diced; 2 parsnips, diced; 8 carrots, cut into rounds; 1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped; 1 cup pearl barley; 1 pound fresh white button mushrooms, sliced; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 large bay leaves

By Dawn Lerman

Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Rating: 4(426)
Comments: Read comments

This soup is made with nourishing bone broth and root vegetables, creating a rich, aromatic and hearty meal that will keep you satisfied during the cold days of winter. It was my dad's favorite soup as a child. He remembers his mom instructing him on how to prepare it. "A bissel of this, a bissel of that," Bubbe would call out in her strong Yiddish accent, kvelling as she watched him sample the simmering ingredients.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

For Homemade Beef Stock

3pounds beef bones
1pound chuck, cubed
1onion, quartered
4celery stalks, sliced in half
4carrots, sliced in half
1bay leaf
water to cover

For the Soup

8cups beef stock (see tip)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1large onion, quartered
8celery stalks, diced
2parsnips, diced
8carrots, cut into rounds
1bunch of parsley, finely chopped
1cup pearl barley
1pound fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
2tablespoons tomato paste
2large bay leaves

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a large soup pot, combine all the stock ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Strain the broth into another large pot. Save the meat, but discard the rest of the solids. If the stock in your new pot is greasy, let it cool for about 15 minutes and then place 6 ice cubes in the pot. The grease will immediately congeal and you can spoon out the ice cubes and grease in one fell swoop. Your homemade beef stock is ready.
Step 2
Taste the stock and add salt and pepper to taste. Then add the onion, celery, parsnips, carrots, parsley, pearl barley and sliced mushrooms. Bring to a boil and then add the tomato paste and bay leaves. Simmer 30 minutes, until the barley is soft. Then add the saved beef and cook for another 45 minutes. You can add a little water if too much liquid has evaporated.

Tip

If you do not want to make your own stock, you can use 64 ounces of beef broth from a carton or dissolve 4 large bouillon cubes (such as Knorr) or 8 small cubes (such as Wyler’s) in 64 ounces of boiling water. If you did not make your own stock, brown 1 pound of cubed chuck in a tablespoon of oil and use that.

Ratings

4 out of 5

426 user ratings

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Comments

Rhyan Guevarra7 years ago

Procedure:
[note: I used bouillon cubes and I diced the onion]
In a large pot brown the beef chuck and then remove and reserve. In the same pot sweat out the onion, then add in the carrot and parsnip, cook for an additional 5 mins. Then add in the celery and saute till semi-tender. Remove and reserve as well. Then add in the mushrooms and cook for 4-5 mins. Add in tomato paste and cook briefly. Deglaze the pot with beefsteak. [make sure you scrape all those flavors on the bottom of the

Nicholas Yarmoshuk7 years ago

I have the feeling that the author had more to say about the techniques involved in this menu . . But there is nothing.

A note is mentioned in the list of ingredients but only a tip is included. I suggest there needs to be some determined editorial attention addressed to this issue.

lgozer7 years ago

This soup is clearly what is usually called "beef barley", not mushroom barley. Suggest reducing barley to 1/2 cup, as it takes over the soup. Can easily do using 4 cans of low sodium beef broth. Reduced celery in half (4 stalks) as 8 seemed excessive.

Lorie F5 months ago

Followed the recipe, except I added browned the onions with some garlic and added thyme. Next time I would leave out the parsley, it’s a bit overpowering. It’s more like a stew than a soup, so I’d either add more beef stock or use less barley next time.

Doug5 months ago

Great hearty soup on a cold Wisconsin night! I cut the celery and carrots down to 2 large each, turned just right for me.

Dominique6 months ago

I made this soup without tomato paste or chunks of beef. Sweated the veggies (with fennel bulb in the mix), added barley as if I was making a risotto. I then put a big splash of wine, and let it reduce before adding beef broth. I decided it needed some sherry, but I only had port, in it went! We have gathered more than enough porcini this year, so I used two large porcini and some oyster mushrooms we had foraged. Very tasty and hearty soup!

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