Clear barley and mushroom soup

If you like mushrooms like I do (that is abnormally so), you will love this delicious, simple and healthy take on mushroom soup.
The porcini bring an out of this world earthy flavor and the barley brings a chewy texture. This recipe is just lovely and I make this every year. It takes no more than 30 minutes from start to finish and will never disappoint you!
Try it and let me know what you think!



INGREDIENTS (4 people):
- 1 8oz bucket of cremini or white button mushrooms
- 1 1oz pack of dried porcini mushrooms
- barley, 1 to 2 cups to taste
- 6 cups of chicken broth (you can use mushroom or vegetable broth to keep the recipe vegan)
- a splash of olive oil
- black pepper
- 1 cup of boiling water (not pictured)


RECIPE:
- rehydrate the porcini mushrooms with the cup of boiling water

- while the porcini are rehydrating, slice the fresh mushrooms and saute them in a pot until golden in the olive oil and a good pinch of black pepper (about 5-6 minutes on medium high heat)

Note: the mushrooms will exude moisture and look wet for a minute or two, but continue past that stage. The water will evaporate and the mushroom will eventually brown.
- drain the reconstituted porcini, making sure to reserve and filter the flavorful liquid, chop them and add them and the liquid to the fresh mushrooms

- add the chicken (or veggie) broth and bring to a simmer over medium heat

- add the barley and cook for the recommended time

- when the barley is cooked to your liking, the soup is ready!
- enjoy :)

Parsnip, barley and mini-meatballs stew

The weather is getting crisp and it is soon time for hearty stews and soups.

Last week, I was inspired by a bag of parsnips in my fridge and a can of crushed tomatoes, staring at me from the back of my pantry. I knew I had ground meat in the freezer, so I made mini-meatballs (click here for a recipe) and whipped up an easy stew. Or soup? Stoup?

Here's how you can make it.



INGREDIENTS (4-6 people):
- a large handful of mini-meatballs (click here for a recipe)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 6 to 8 cups beef broth
- 1 cup of barley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 to 1 tsp smoked paprika, to taste
- 2 shallots, sliced finely
- 2 to 3 ribs of celery, diced
- 1 clove of garlic, grated
- 1 lb bag of parsnips, peeled and diced finely



RECIPE:
- in a large, deep stockpot, melt the butter and saute the meatballs over medium-high heat until golden but not fully cooked and reserve on the side

- in the flavored butter, saute the shallots, celery and garlic over medium heat until soft

- add the crushed tomatoes and beef broth and bring to a simmer, the add the diced parsnips and cook until soft (20-25 minutes)

- about 15 minutes in, add the barley to the simmering liquid and cook for another 10 minutes, or following your barley's cooking instructions

- a few minutes before you are ready to eat, add the precooked meatballs and heat up until completely cooked through

- enjoy!

Leftover Thanksgiving turkey and barley soup with stuffing dumplings

This is the ultimate leftover Thanksgiving turkey soup!

If you're like me, and cannot even THINK of having yet another reheated piece of turkey after the weekend, try this soup. It is so easy to make, and you probably have everything to make it in less than an hour.

You can pretty much make this soup with any leftovers you have. Here's what I did with mine.


INGREDIENTS (4 people):
for the dumplings (makes about 50 small pieces):
- 2 cups of cold stuffing
- 1/3 cup gravy
- 1 egg
- about 1 1/2 cups of panko breadcrumbs (you can use regular breadcrumbs, flour, semolina, cornbread, biscuits, etc... Just use something to regulate the moisture level of the dumpling batter)


for the soup:
- 8 cups chicken stock
- leftover turkey meat
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion
- 2-3 carrots
- 1 bunch of parsley (I would have normally used 2 celery branches, but only had parsley)
- 1/2 cup barley (or rice, orzo, soup pasta, angel hair, potatoes, beans...)
- salt to taste


RECIPE:
- first make the dumplings: mix the stuffing, gravy and egg until smooth, adjust the moisture level with breadcrumbs until thick (the texture of thick cookie dough is what you're after here) and let firm up in the fridge for about 20 minutes

- in the mean time chop the garlic, carrots, onion and parsley and saute in splash of olive oil over medium high heat

- add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and add the barley

- turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes, until the barley is almost cooked through
- about 20 minutes in start shaping the dumplings: wet your hands so the dough won't stick and roll a small amount of dough into a ball

- add the dumplings and diced turkey meat in the soup and cook for another 5 minutes (or until the turkey is heated through and the dumplings rise to the surface)

- enjoy!