People ask me where I learned how to cook and my answer is always - I got it from my momma. I learned so much about cooking and the joy of feeding others from my Ema. One of the most important things I learned from her is that simple is always best and you show your love for others through food. Weeknight dinners and Shabbos meals were always filled with so many delicious dishes and those two lessons from my mother shined through those dishes.
It's traditional to have chicken soup on Friday night for Shabbat, but some weeks my mother would change it up and would make this really yummy, creamy, hearty mushroom barley soup. This soup exemplifies that cooking can be simple, delicious, and truly heartwarming.
My mother got this recipe from a friend of hers. We are very close to a family in our neighborhood and would eat there often on Shabbat and Chagim. We were served this soup on a Friday night at their house about 20 years ago and we loved it so much that my mother had to get the recipe from her friend and she's been making it ever since.
This recipe can easily be doubled and freezes beautifully!
Mushroom Barley Soup
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp Flour
1 cup boiling water
½ cup pearl barley
½ cup dry lima beans or any other small white bean
8 oz / 250 grams white button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 large carrot, diced
1 rib of celery, diced
1 1/4 Tbsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
10 cups water
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
1Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Heat the oil in a large pot (I recommend at least a 6-quart pot) over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the flour to make a roux and cook for about 2 minutes until the flour has become slightly golden brown. Add the boiling water and whisk to break up any lumps cook until thickened. Add the remaining ingredients besides the fresh herbs. Bring to a boil then reduce the flame, cover the pot, and allow the soup to simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. The soup is done when the barley and beans are tender and the soup has a creamy consistency. Add the fresh herbs and taste for seasoning adjust to your liking.
This was soooo good and so easy. I also added left over meat from Friday night. Thanks! (Btw someone also told me that pearl barley is good for the skin.)
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