This hearty version of an American classic soup is inspired by 'Chef Jakey' of the long-gone 'Steak Pub' in 1970's Monticello, NY. Long ago, I lived and worked in the upstate New York resort town of Monticello. As an electrical contractor, one of my clients was an upscale restaurant called 'The Steak Pub.' They had an Asian head chef named 'Jakey.' During winter months when business was slow, we spent hours doing electrical upgrades. Inevitably, we would be there at lunch time, and Jakey would invite us to his specialty, Mushroom Barley Soup, with hot sourdough. The addition of the cream of mushroom soup gives a creamier end result. Serve hot with sourdough or other fine bread, or garlic rounds.
Ingredients
- water: 3 cups
- barley: 1 cup
- beef broth: 4 cups
- milk: 1 cup
- olive oil: 2 Tbsp
- onion: 1 cup (diced)
- celery: 0.5 cup (diced)
- carrot: 0.5 cup (diced)
- garlic: 1 Tbsp (finely chopped)
- white mushrooms: 1 pack (6 ounce pack, sliced)
- brown beech mushrooms: 0.5 cup (chopped)
- Oyster mushrooms: 0.5 cup (chopped)
- shiitake mushrooms: 0.25 cup (dried)
- black mushrooms, broken into small pieces: 0.25 cup (dried)
- condensed cream of mushroom soup: 1 can (10.75 ounce can, optional)
- salt: 0.5 tsp
- ground mixed peppercorns: 0.5 tsp
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Heat water in a slow cooker set to High until hot; add barley, beef broth, milk, olive oil, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, white mushrooms, brown beech mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, black mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, salt, and ground mixed peppercorns to the slow cooker.
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Cover and cook on High for 1 hour.
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Remove shiitake mushrooms with a slotted spoon and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Reduce heat setting to Low and continue cooking 7 hours more.
