Monday, January 25, 2010

Cream of Barley Soup (With Mushrooms)

I'm still on a Deborah Madison kick -- this time, her Cream of Barley Soup, from Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen. It's a smooth, creamy soup (thanks to puréed barley and vegetables, and reduced-fat sour cream) which delivers a nice dose of whole grains.

The recipe suggested garnishing the soup with cooked barley and thin slices of sautéed leek and shitake mushroom. I did stir some additional cooked barley into the puréed soup. However, instead of using a leek/shitake mushroom garnish, I sautéed about a pound of chopped baby portobello mushrooms in one tablespoon of melted butter. I really liked the texture of the barley and mushroom chunks in the otherwise smooth soup.

Since my mom's family is Hungarian, I couldn't let a dish featuring both sour cream and mushrooms go without a little paprika.

8 comments:

The Paris Food Blague said...

ah, i am dying for mushrooms now. i was in hungary in december, which launced a huge paprika obsession on my part.

a bientot!
the paris food blague

Vegan Epicurean said...

That soup sounds great! I just got the same book. I definitely need to take a look at this. Nothing like any barley mushroom soup I have made, which I love. Thanks for sharing.

Alicia

Dana said...

I have that book and don't use it nearly enough. What a great idea to puree some of the barley. I'm sure the texture was awesome. I'll have to make this since we are a mushroom loving household!

Anonymous said...

Your soup looks so creamy and delicious, very comforting!

Linda said...

It looks great!... Thanks.. I've been wanting to make a barley soup...in fact I bought barley this past weekeend.... and I couldn't decide what to make... now I know!

Healthy. Happy. Well. said...

Oh yum! What is that on top? Paprika? Chili? I might try to make a vegan version of this!

Alicia Foodycat said...

The paprika is such a good garnish for a light coloured soup! This sounds really hearty and delicious.

www.dhaleb.com said...

I'm in a huge soup mood these days. It's cold outside, I've been torturing myself at the gym at 6am and I need more sleep. Just looking at this soup is already making me feel all warm and cozy.

Looks yummy!