Mushroom Barley Soup

Rain. All week. The kind of gray, cold, miserable April rain that makes you question why anyone lives in Wisconsin voluntarily. I drove to work in the rain, worked near steam tanks in the rain, drove home in the rain, and repeated this five times because that's what jobs are.\n\nBut actually, the week was fine. I'm getting the hang of the brewing floor. Marcus taught me about sparging this week — that's where you rinse the grain bed to extract as much sugar as possible. It sounds boring but when you're doing it, watching the wort run clear, knowing that this liquid is going to become beer that actual people will drink... there's something about it. Like you're part of something bigger than just a job.\n\nI also had my first real screwup. I was monitoring a fermentation tank and I misread the temperature by two degrees. Marcus caught it before it became a problem, but he sat me down and said, "Two degrees doesn't sound like much, but in beer, two degrees is the difference between what we want and something we have to dump." He wasn't mad. He was teaching. That's the best kind of boss.\n\nBiggest thing this week: Mom had a birthday on Thursday. She turned 48. Dad and I took her to Kopp's for frozen custard after dinner — that's a Milwaukee institution, for anyone who doesn't know. She got butter pecan in a waffle cone and was so happy about it that you'd think we'd taken her to Paris. That's Mom. Simple pleasures, maximum gratitude. She's the kindest person I know.\n\nFor her actual birthday dinner, Babcia made Mom's favorite — a mushroom and barley soup that's different from the Christmas mushroom soup. This one is heartier, more of a meal than a starter. Mom said it was the best birthday present she could ask for, and Babcia said, "I gave you life, I gave you food, what more do you want?" which is the most Babcia sentence ever spoken.\n\nDad gave Mom a necklace. Nothing fancy — a simple gold chain with a small cross. Mom cried. Dad looked embarrassed but pleased, which is his emotional range. I gave Mom a card and a candle from the nice candle place on KK Avenue. She said it was perfect. It was a fifteen-dollar candle. My mom is very easy to make happy, which is one of the best things about her.

Babcia’s mushroom barley soup stole the show at Mom’s birthday dinner, and honestly, it deserved to. There’s something about watching your grandmother hand someone a bowl of soup and having that be the best gift of the night that makes you want to learn the recipe immediately. Babcia walked me through it the next day — no written recipe, just her standing at the stove telling me what to do — and I wrote everything down as fast as I could. Here’s what I ended up with.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 50 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups boiling water (for soaking)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
3 stalks celery, sliced
16 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed
6 cups beef or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Rehydrate the dried mushrooms. Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them. Let them soak for 15 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon, roughly chop them, and set aside. Pour the soaking liquid through a fine mesh strainer or coffee filter to remove grit, and reserve it — it’s liquid gold.
Build the base. In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 60 seconds until fragrant.
Sweat the vegetables. Add the carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
Cook the fresh mushrooms. Add the cremini mushrooms along with the chopped rehydrated porcini mushrooms. Season with thyme, smoked paprika, a generous pinch of salt, and several cracks of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes until the mushrooms have released their liquid and started to brown.
Add the tomato paste. Push the vegetables to the sides and add the tomato paste to the center of the pot. Let it cook against the bottom for about 1 minute, stirring, before combining it with everything else.
Add barley and liquids. Pour in the broth, the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, and the soy sauce. Stir to combine. Add the rinsed barley. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat.
Simmer until barley is tender. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover partially, and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the barley is fully cooked and tender. The soup will thicken as the barley releases its starch — this is what you want. Add a splash of broth or water if it gets too thick for your liking.
Taste and finish. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh chopped parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mushroom Barley Soup — The Birthday Dinner Babcia Made That Reminded Us a Bowl of Soup Can Be the Best Gift in the Room