Creamy Porcini Barley Soup

This grown-up version of creamy mushroom soup from Eating Well is rich with earthy porcini and white mushrooms and tender, nutty grains of barley. Stir in just a bit of reduced-fat sour cream at the end-hold the heavy cream.

ACTIVE TIME: 50 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 1/4 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

Makes 4 servings, about 1 3/4 cups each. (These are very large servings.)

Ingredients

1/2 cup pearl barley

4-1/2 cups mushroom broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms

2 cups boiling water

2 tsp butter

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup minced shallots (about 4 medium)

8 cups sliced white mushrooms (about 20 oz) [1/2 pound (225g) fresh sliced mushrooms = 2 cups fresh sliced = 1 cup cooked]

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 T minced fresh sage or 1 tsp dried

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 T all-purpose flour

1 cup dry-to-medium sherry [Christian Brothers California Golden Sherry, which is medium-sweet] 

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup minced fresh chives

Instructions

1. Combine barley and 1 1/2 cups broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until the barley is tender, 30 to 35 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine porcinis and boiling water in a medium bowl and let soak until the mushrooms are soft, about 20 minutes. Line a sieve with paper towels, set it over a bowl and pour mushrooms and soaking liquid through it. Reserve the soaking liquid. Transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board and finely chop.

3. Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add white mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they have released their juices and started to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the porcinis, celery, sage, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Add sherry and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until most of the sherry has evaporated, about 1 minute.

4. Add the soaking liquid and the remaining 3 cups broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the celery is tender and the soup has thickened, 18 to 22 minutes.

5. Add the cooked barley and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream until incorporated. Garnish with chives.

Notes

Tip: Prepare soup through Step 4. Cover and refrigerate the soup and cooked barley separately for up to 3 days. To serve, combine (Step 5) and reheat.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 288 calories; 10 g fat (5 g sat, 4 g mono); 22 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrate; 12 g protein; 3 g fiber; 498 mg sodium; 894 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Potassium (26% daily value), Selenium (23% dv), Vitamin A (20% dv), Iron (15% dv).

2 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 2 fat