Mushroom Barley Soup
Mushroom and Barley Soup
Ingredients:
1 onion
4 Garlic Cloves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp fresh thyme or dried
7 cups of mushrooms chopped =28 oz (two 14 oz packs of mushrooms or about 7 handfuls of loose mushrooms.
Note: Mix different mushrooms if you want. I used 14oz of shiitake and 14 oz white button. Cremini, oyster, baby portobellos are all good choices.
3 tbsp olive oil or grape seed oil.
2 cups mushroom broth or vegetable broth
6 cups of water
1 cup cooked barley ( 1 cup dried cooked in 3 cups of water + pinch of salt, you may have extra barley and can always add it to the soup or use for another meal in the week)
1 tsp of sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Tools:
-cutting board, chopping knife, bowl for onion and garlic skin (to make broth), soup pot, measuring spoons, extra soup pot to make broth if choosing to, wooden spoon.
Broth:
Before cooking the soup I’m offering an additional recipe for mushroom broth to cook with the soup from stems and skins of ingredients. It adds an extra depth and medicinal nourishment. You can choose to do this part the day before and pre-chop onion, garlic and mushrooms to be ready to cook the next day or your can devote two hours to making this whole soup one day or night. Flow as it feels good for you. Also, store bought vegetable broth works great for this too and it’s still very tasty without broth and just water.
Directions: place all ingredients in the pot and add 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hr-2 hrs. Use two cups of broth and freeze the rest or use for added flavor to dishes this week. Good in the fridge for 5 days in sealed container. Let broth cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge or freezer.
Ingredients: Skin of one large onion, skin of 4 garlic cloves, stems of 14oz shiitake mushrooms, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black peppercorn or ground, 3 full stems of thyme (whole pieces), 6 cups of water.
Soup Directions:
1.) Chop onion and garlic. Heat soup pot medium/high for one minute and then add 3 tbsp of cooking oil. Let oil heat for 1 min and then add onion and garlic, stir and let cook. While onions are cooking chop mushrooms in half and then thin quarter slices. You can also chop into small pieces if you prefer. When onions are translucent and begin to sizzle add ground cumin and fresh thyme, stir and cook for 30 seconds to release essence of herb and spice. Next add mushrooms. Add 2 cups of mushrooms at a time, stirring and giving 1 min for them to heat between. Once all the mushrooms are added let them cook for 5 mins.
2.) Add 6 cups of water plus sea salt, black pepper and mushroom or veg broth ( if using no broth sub water). Stir and keep heat on high. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer and cook for 1 hr. At the end of cooking, when soup is aromatic and mushrooms are tender add in 1 cup of cooked barley and stir. Turn off heat, let cook and serve. Fresh ground pepper is delish on top paired with baguette or sour dough.
Additional Nutritional Notes: This soup is very nourishing for our immune system. Incorporating the broth from the veg skins and ends boosts the soup with extra vitamins and minerals. All mushrooms are magical in their own way and offer our bodies immune support and heart health. For this recipe I used Shiitake and white button mushrooms. Both are immune supportive, delicious and unique in their flavor and nutritional benefits. Shiitake help reduce inflammation, increase white blood cells, support cell protection and can help lower cholesterol thanks to ertadenine, beta-glucans and polysaccharides. White button and shiitake are rich in copper ( as well as phosphorus, selenium, riboflavin and Niacin) which is are essential minerals we need to nourish our blood vessels, bones and immune system. White button mushrooms are also anti-inflammatory and offer cellular protection. In simple terms, mushrooms provide minerals and co-working compounds that build up the strength of our immune system on a cellular level giving it extra tools to support fighting off colds and viruses while boosting the strength of our bodies internal support systems. They are a good source of Vitamin D and Vitamin B6 as well. Eating Vitamin D rich vegetables in the winter as the light fades can be an added tool when we are inside more. Many people do not get enough vitamin D which is an essential nutrient for our our bones and blood- vitamin D is needed for calcium to be absorbed in our bodies. I would suggest as Winter begins adding a serving of mushrooms once per week-any kind of mushroom. You can also add dried mushrooms to soups, stews, slow cooked rice and beans for extra nutrition boost to your meals. Make sure to cook them for 30-45 mins until tender. You can simply sauté them with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and enjoy as a side dish, add a tbsp of water if they start to get sticky to the pan or a little veg broth. Some mushrooms such as oyster, maiitaki and lions mane are more expensive and offer their own unique benefits, lion’s mane offers nervous system nourishment. If you are curious google search specific nutrients for each type of mushroom. Get experimental with the different flavors and benefits and also keep it simple. For those who are dealing with fungus in their body or allergy make sure to do your research and talk with your health practitioners. Never eat mushrooms raw, find them at your grocery store or farmer’s market. You can look into growing your own mushrooms too. Lastly, thyme, an herb I’m cooking and drying for the season is rich in flavor and offers anti-viral and anti-bacterial nutrients, it can be supportive when needed to lower a fever too.
