Turkey Barley Mushroom Soup

from Williams-Sonoma

Serves 6-8

1 lb mushrooms
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 leeks, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup pearled barley
3 cloves minced garlic
2 turkey thighs (skin removed)
8 cups chicken broth
2 tsp soy sauce

Warm oil in a 6 quart stock pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and saute until softened -- 5-7 minutes. Add mushrooms, carrots, barley and garlic. Saute 1 minute more. Add turkey and stock, reduce heat to low and simmer 1.5 hours. Remove turkey, cut meat off the bones, cut into bite-sized pieces, return meat to pot. Stir in soy sauce and season soup to taste with salt, pepper and parsley.

Make up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate or freeze up to 2 months.

THIS IS THE TURKEY BARLEY MUSHROOM SOUP RECIPE MOM PREFERS.

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

Sherried Beef

Stew Meat (2-3 lbs)
Onion Soup Mix (1 envelope)
Cream of Mushroom Soup (1 can)
Creme Sherry (1/2 cup)

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours. Serve over cooked pasta of your choice.

Alternate: Cover and bake at 275 F for 4-5 hours.

Fajita Rice

2 cups cooked brown rice (yield from approx. 3/4 cup dry)
1 onion, chopped and sauteed until tender
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb cooked chicken, pork, or steak, diced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
3 Tbs cilantro, chopped
1 Tbs lime juice
2/3 cup shredded jack cheese

Mix everything together and put in a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 min, until hot. This makes a great filling for tacos, stuffed peppers, or tomatoes. Garnish with sour cream, hot sauce, salsa, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Hilary's Potatoes

2 lbs potatoes
1 packet onion soup mix
1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 450. Cut potatoes into 1" cubes. Mix with olive oil and onion soup mix. Dump into a 9x13 pan. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.

Carolina Slaw

1/2 head of cabbage, shredded

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

Dressing:

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup cider vinegar

Combine coleslaw vegetable ingredients: cabbage, pepper, onion, and carrots in a large serving bowl.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring, until sugar is dissolved; pour over vegetables and toss well. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

10 servings. Delicious with pulled pork!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 cup chicken stock or broth

1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon salt, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

5 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt

Place the onions and garlic in an even layer in the slow cooker and pour in the stock or broth. Combine the sugar, chili powder, measured salt, cumin, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork and place the meat on top of the onions and garlic. Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 6 to 8 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.

Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer and return the solids to the slow cooker. Set the strained liquid aside.

Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker. Use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid, and then add 1/4 cup of the liquid at a time to the slow cooker until the pork is just moistened. Taste and season with salt as needed. Top with barbecue sauce and cole slaw. Serve on buns if desired.

12+ servings

From Chow.com