I know a lot of people don’t like mushrooms, but I’ve always felt it’s because they’ve never had them cooked properly 🙂 Just kidding.
Mushrooms are an important part of a vegetarian diet, mainly because they have a meaty texture and add a nice depth of flavor to a recipe. Throw them together with barley and roasted red peppers, and you have a great tasting combination.
Barley and Mushroom Soup
serves four
2 tb extra virgin olive oil
12 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 cups low sodium vegetable stock
1 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/2 cup quick-cooking barley
2 tb Italian seasoning
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
In stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add garlic the last five minutes of cooking.
Add the vegetable broth, roasted red peppers, barley, Italian seasoning, cayenne, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender, about twenty-five minutes. Serve hot.
2 replies on “Barley and Mushroom Soup”
Hi Paul,
The barley & mushroom soup looks wonderful – all things I love and have on hand at home for tonight. Have you tried roasting peppers yourself on a grill? The difference in flavor between them and those in a jar…well, like canned anything vs. the real thing. Put pepper pieces skin side down on the preheated grill, let them blacken, then put them in a paper sack and close it up. The steam will loosen the skin. When cool enough, pull off the skins. I pour a little sesame oil over them to store in the refrig, or you can use olive oil. These are a wonderful addition to sandwiches or salads. I try to keep some on hand all summer.
One more thing: do you know about Haymana on Reisterstown Road? It’s a great little produce market with better prices on everything fresh, located just down the hill from the big Goodwill store, on the right next to a diner.
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for the tip about the roasted peppers. I agree, fresh is always better than those out of the jar. I haven’t been to the produce store you mentioned, but I’ll definitely check it out soon!