Hungarian Mushroom Barley Soup

With the cool and foggy weather we've been having, I was craving some soup for lunches this week, so I decided to try the Hungarian Mushroom Barley Soup from the Whitewater Cooks cookbooks.  It's a great, hearty soup that warms you from the inside out.  I halved the recipe because I didn't need more than 5-6 servings and find that chunky soups don't always freeze that well.  I've included my version of the recipe below. 

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1.5 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup barley
• 1/4 cup sherry cooking wine
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 7 cups of sliced mushrooms
• 4 cups of vegetable stock (1 tetra pak of Kitchen Basics vegetable stock)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

Heat the oil and butter in a large pot until butter is melted.  Add the onions and sauté until translucent.  Add the mushrooms and sauté for another 10 minutes.  Add the barley and spices and continue to sauté for 10 more minutes.  Add the stock and let cook over medium heat for approximately 30 minutes.  Add the soy sauce, sherry, cream and parsley.  Stir, remove the bay leaves and enjoy!  Note: for you glutein-free folk, I think the soup would be just as delicious without the barley.

 http://www.whitewatercooks.com/