Mushroom barley soup with rosemary oil

Adapted from The Yellow House
serves 4-6

shallots, baby bella and shittake

organic pearl barley

Delicious!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter ( I use Vegan Butter - earth balance original)
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1/2 - 1 pound of sliced baby bella and shittake mushrooms (the recipe from The Yellow House suggested 6 cups of sliced mushrooms, but I wanted a heartier soup.)
• 3/4 cup dry red wine 
• 10 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth or water)
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (optional)
• 4-5 sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped from stems
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Use your biggest pot and heat the butter over medium heat.  When melted, add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the mushrooms and stir to coat with butter.  Turn the heat to high, and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms begin to soften.
3. Pour in the wine and stir.  Allow the wine to reduce by half.
4. Then, add the broth or water and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the pearl barley and a pinch of salt (I chose not to use more than a pinch of salt because the vegetable broth already has added salt.)
5. Reduce to a rapid simmer.  Simmer 40 minutes to an hour or until barley is cooked through. (I pre-soak the barley in cold water for at least 2 hours - so that the cooking time is reduced.)
6. While the soup is simmering, mince the rosemary leaves and mix in with the olive oil or you can use a food processor to create a smoother mixture.
7. When the soup is finished, ladle into bowls and drizzle the rosemary oil on top.  Serve with bread. (we like pumpernickel).

This is one of our favorite soups.  I have made this twice now and it gets better each time.  Soups are great for fall/winter months and by adding more mushroom - it becomes a heartier dish.  As for the wine, since the recipe calls for a small amount, I like to use wine that I usually drink.  I used a 2008 cabernet sauvignon from Frank Family Vineyards, but I'm sure ANY red wine will work.  Next time I will try a zinfandel from Klinker Brick Winery (since it's about 20 dollars less than Frank's).

I hope you enjoy the soup as much as we do.