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Barley, mushroom and pickle soup
A substantial vegetable soup with pearl barley, browned mushrooms and diced pickles stirred in after the grain is tender.
In this guide4 sections
Give the barley the time it needs
Pearl barley makes a filling soup without adding cream. Here it shares the bowl with browned mushrooms, carrot and small pieces of pickle. The grain takes longer than the vegetables, so judge its centre before finishing the pot: a pleasant chew is welcome, a hard chalky core is not.
Choose pearl barley for the timing below. Hulled barley needs a different cooking time. Keep a kettle of hot water nearby because brands absorb different amounts, and a little extra water is easier to add than an over-salty second dose of stock.
Yield: 4 servings. Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 50 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 300 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 150 g onion, finely diced
- 150 g carrot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 120 g pearl barley, rinsed
- 1.4 litres reduced-salt vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 150 g drained dill pickles, finely diced
- 10 g fresh dill, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Up to 250 ml hot water, if needed
Method
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown half the mushrooms for 4 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining oil and mushrooms.
Brown the mushrooms in batches so the slices have room against the pan. - Lower the heat to medium. Put all the mushrooms back in the pan with the onion and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, then add the garlic for the final minute.
- Stir in the barley, stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover loosely and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so the grain does not catch.
Simmer the barley gently with the browned mushrooms and vegetables. - Taste a few grains. Continue in 5-minute intervals until tender, adding hot water if the barley sits above the broth or the soup becomes thicker than you want.
- Add the diced pickles and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the dill and pepper, and taste the broth. Divide among bowls while there is still enough liquid to spoon around the grain.
Add the pickles only after the barley is tender, then finish with dill.
Broth today, thicker tomorrow
Barley keeps absorbing liquid as it stands. For portions you are saving, leave the soup slightly looser than your ideal serving texture; when warming a portion, add water a spoonful at a time. Keep the pickle pieces small enough to share a spoon with the grain.
Mushrooms need contact with the pan to brown. Crowding all 300 g into a small saucepan tends to produce a pool of liquid, so use the two batches even if it adds a few minutes. Dark brown patches are useful; black burnt edges will flavour the broth.
The faster white bean and pickle soup uses cooked beans instead of dry grain. For a creamy bowl, try Polish-style pickle soup.
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