(family-friends-food.com)
INGREDIENTS
- 375-400 g white or chestnut mushrooms
- 2 medium onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 100 g pearl barley
- 5 g dried porcini mushrooms, chopped/broken into small pieces (optional)
- pinch ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 litre hot water from the kettle.
- 1½-2 tablespoon red miso
- chopped fresh parsley or chives to serve (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Brush any dirt from the mushrooms and slice finely. Peel and finely slice the onions.
- Heat the olive oil over a low-medium flame in a large pan, and add the mushrooms and onions. Saute for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften.
- Add the pearl barley, porcini mushrooms (if using), pepper and bay leaf, and 1 litre of hot water.
- Stir well, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to the minimum required to sustain the barest simmer. Cook the soup for 1½-2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- When ready to serve, remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool for a minute or two. Cream the miso in a small bowl with 1½-2 tablespoon of hot, not boiling, water, then stir this mixture into the soup.
- Serve at once, garnished with chopped fresh chives or parsley.