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Mushroom Barley Soup
What could be better than a brisk walk on a cold and sunny day in autumn? You guessed it: a wonderful pot of soup simmering away on the stove, waiting for you when you get home. Roy found this recipe many years ago and it quickly became one of our favorites. It takes almost no time at all to prepare, is reasonably healthful, and tastes fantastic. Soup just doesn't get any better than this!
Ingredients:
1 lb sliced white mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped (or however you like your soup onions)
3 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery with greens attached, sliced
4 T butter
1/2 to 1 full 6 oz can tomato paste
10 C beef stock (or broth)
1 bay leaf
Few pinches of parsley
Health splash of Worcestershire sauce
Splash of Tabasco
Barley
Melt four tablespoons of butter in a heavy soup pot. Add garlic, onion, and 1/2 lb of
the sliced mushrooms. (Some people prefer to slice half of the mushrooms and chop the
other half. Your preference.) Saute maybe three or four minutes until soft. Add celery,
carrots, bay leaf, parsley. Add beef broth, Worcestershire and Tabasco to taste. Salt
and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer thirty minutes.
Add three or four handfuls of barley. Cover. Simmer low until done.