Week 117: Mushroom Barley
On the menu for MONDAY, DECEMBER 9th is MUSHROOM BEEF BARLEY SOUP with ITALIAN HERB BREAD. This flavourful soup is filled with mushrooms, barley and slow cooked beef that will melt in your mouth; it's pure comfort food in a bowl! This soup was first introduced on my Soup(er) menu after a visit with my grandmother where she asked me to make her Mushroom Beef Barley soup. After much recipe research, I found one that I knew would be perfect. It had multiple layers of flavor ... fresh and dried mushrooms, lots of veggies and herbs, and the added bonus of balsamic vinegar and worchestershire sauce to up the flavor punch. Up until that point, I always found beef barley soups to be boring and kind of tasteless. But this soup totally changed my opinion. And recently, I went back to Arizona to visit my grandmother and once again, she requested this soup. And since nothing that makes me happier than cooking for loved ones, I was more than happy to oblige ... and I'm excited to once again bring it to all of you.
The soup begins with cooking a little bit of bacon in the pot ... just enough to start the soup off right. Once the bacon is cooked and removed from the pot, the beef is seared to enhance its flavor. Next, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and mushrooms are added. Once softened, fresh thyme, smoked paprika, and reconsituted dried mushrooms are added along with the seared meat, bacon, homemade chicken stock, balsamic vinegar and worchestershire sauce and brought to a boil. The soup simmers for a few hours, until the meat is fork tender. Pearled barley is added towards the end of cooking to add a chewy bite to the soup. The soup is garnished with fresh thyme.
The bread companion this week is my Italian Herb Bread. This buttery bread, which is filled with fresh herbs and garlic will be perfect alongside this hearty soup.
On the menu for dessert is WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT COOKIES. My absolute favorite time of year to be baking is around the holidays. I love to try out new cookies and explore new flavors! Last year I discovered baking with pudding mix and it provides a chewy, yummy cookie every time. These cookies are no exception and are loaded with a traditional holiday ingredient - peppermint! Be sure to try these out this week! - Jenny from Jenny Sue Delights
