1/2 cup pearl barley
5 cups water
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms (use shiitake, morel, cepes and portabella, or cultivated
mushrooms)
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1 28-oz can whole, peeled tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
In a large pot, combine barley with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat
and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large pan and saute
onion, garlic and celery over medium heat for 10 minutes. Separate mushroom
stems from caps; chop the stems, slice the caps and add to vegetables with
remaining 1 Tbsp oil. Saute 2 minutes, add sage and thyme and continue cooking
for 1 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Chop tomatoes, reserving the
juice and add both to the barley when it's ready. Stir in remaining 3 cups
water, tomatoe paste, wine and mushroom mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to
low and simmer soup for 1 hour. Stir in salt and pepper, taste soup and adjust
seasonings to taste.
