Date: Tue, 25 Oct 94 14:14:00 EDT
From: "Anne.Cox" (20676AC@msu.edu)
Shiitake mushrooms have the perfect chewy texture to go with the barley. Even
die-hard beef stock folks won't miss the meat.
Barley-Shiitake Mushroom Soup
1 1/2 c dry shiitake mushrooms
2 large yellow onions
6 stalks celery
6 carrots
1 pkg Quaker Quick Barley
8 c water
2 T Michelle's Chicken Style Seasoning (recently reposted, this is great)
1 t salt or to taste
Rinse the shiitake mushrooms and set them aside to soak in plenty of water.
They will need about an hour to soak. Chop the onions, celery, and carrots.
Put the vegetables and Michelle's seasoning in a large stock pot with the
water. When the mushrooms are soft, snip them into smaller pieces (approx. a
square inch each) and drop them in the pot. Bring the pot to a boil, turn
down to simmer. Cook until the carrots just start to soften. Add barley and
simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Taste the broth occasionally while cooking,
add salt to taste and more of Michelle's seasoning if needed.
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Note on Shiitake mushrooms for those of you new to dried Shiitake mushrooms:
These guys are sandy, so rinse them WELL in a colander to start. More sand
will fall out of them as they expand. I like to soak them in a mixing bowl
with lots of water to keep them floating well above the bottom. I even turn
the gill sides down. Always remove them from the soak with a slotted spoon
without sloshing the bowl around, don't dump them through a colander.
You can then ladle some of the soaking water into the soup, if you do it
carefully and don't disturb the bottom. I'm sorry to state the obvious to
people who already know, but I learned this a little at a time, and would have
been nice to know the first time!
kwvegan vegan