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Few meals really have that ‘warm you up from the inside’ quality other than a bowl of steaming soup.  My ‘go-to’ quick and easy, hearty and satisfying soup is the Moosewood’s original Mushroom-Barley soup.  I love it with loads of fresh ground pepper which works so well with the nuggets of swollen pearl barley – almost makes me long for a cold Winter night!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley

6 1/2 cups water

1 to 2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. of sliced mushrooms

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce

3 to 4 tablespoons dry sherry

freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Place the barley and 1 1/2 cups of water in a large saucepan or a Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until the barley is tender (20 to 30 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet.  Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes over medium heat.  Add garlic, mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is very tender ~ about 10 to 12 minutes.  Stir in soy sauce and sherry.
3. Add the sauté with all its liquid to the cooked barley, along with the remaining 5 cups of water.  Grind in a generous amount of black pepper, and simmer, partially covered, another 20 minutes over very low heat.  Taste to correct seasonings, and serve.