Porcini, potato and barley soup - house beautiful

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
½ ounce Dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup Hot water
3 tablespoons Olive oil
2 cups Finely chopped onions
1½ cup Finely chopped carrots
1 cup Finely chopped celery ribs
1 Medium-large potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, about 1 1/2 C
2 ounces Coarsely chopped prosciutto
½ cup Barley
7 cups To 8 C beef broth, may be half canned, half water
½ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
Coarse salt as needed
Finely chopped fresh parsley, oregano, marjoram or mint for garnish

Directions

In a small bowl, soak mushrooms in water for at least 20 minutes, or until ready to use.

In a 4- to 6-quart heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat oil over medium heat and saute the onion, stirring occasionally until limp but not brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add carrots and celery and saute, stirring occasionally until the vegetables begin to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Drain mushrooms, reserving liquid, and coarsely chop. Stir mushrooms into the pot and saute 2 to 3 minutes.

Add potatoes, prosciutto, barley, 7 C broth and pepper. Pass the reserved mushroom liquid through a coffee filter or fine strainer lined with cheesecloth and add to the mixture. Raise the heat to high, cover stockpot, and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to simmer, partially cover and cook for 1 hour or until barley is very tender and the soup is thick. Correct seasoning if necessary.

Allow soup to rest for a few hours or up to a few days before serving. Soup will thicken as it stands.

Before serving, bring the soup back to a simmer. If it is too thick, thin it with remaining broth or water.

Serve very hot in deep or flat bowls, sprinkled with a chopped herb if desired-mint is surprisingly appropriate. Serves 6.

House Beautiful/February/94 Scanned & fixed by DP & GG

Related recipes