The New York deli standard: pearl barley and mushrooms in beef stock, with dried porcini for depth and a splash of sherry. It belongs to the same Eastern European mushroom tradition as Polish krupnik, and came to America by way of the Jewish delis.
Untested: I have not cooked this one yet. It is here because the Mushrooms dive needed it, and it is adapted from the source named in the Notes.
Ingredients
- 1 oz dried porcini
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 lb white mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup sherry
- 8 cups beef stock
- 1/2 cup pearl barley
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Parsley, chopped
Directions
- Soak the porcini. Pour the boiling water over the porcini and soak 30 minutes. Lift them out and chop. Pour off the liquid, leaving the grit behind.
- Vegetables. Cook the garlic, celery, carrot and onion in the oil until soft. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook until their water has gone and they begin to brown.
- Deglaze. Add the sherry and let it bubble off.
- Simmer. Add the stock, the porcini and their liquid, the barley and the thyme. Simmer until the barley is tender.
- Finish. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley and season.
Notes
Where this recipe came from Adapted from Saveur’s “Classic Mushroom Barley Soup” (saveur.com), which it describes as a version of “the New York deli staple”. The quantities are theirs.