Mushroom barely soup is another soup that tends to show up in our winter rotation. The wife and I really enjoy this one, the recipe has been slightly modified over time but we find ourselves coming back to this one, there's no meat in this one.
Also, my mother sent over a few homemade stoverags "lokshi" that she made the other day. They are made with leftover mashed potatoes. They're basically a buttered Polish tortilla. I grew up on these because my grandmother would make this all the time for us. She lived in a household where nothing went to waste. Lokshi is informally called "stoverags" because they would be cooked right on the surface of the coal stove. I wanted to make these the day after New Year's with leftover mashed potatoes. I called my mom to get a quick refresher on making them but I didn't realize I had no leftover potatoes!! Well, I guess she got a hankering for them since I mentioned them. I told her to take pictures. I'll post them at the end.
Mushroom Barley Soup
1oz. dried mushrooms. I used chanterelle's
4T. olive oil
5 carrots, diced
5 ribs of celery, diced
2 medium onions, diced
10 cloves of garlic, chopped (this was a bulb)
2lb. of sliced mushrooms
1/2c. Sherry or cooking wine
4 cartons of beef stock (16 cups). I use College Inn "Bold" flavor
1.5 c dried barley
2T. dried thyme
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Start off by soaking the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Make sure to save the water. These are the mushrooms I used:
While the dried mushrooms are reconstituting, start chopping your onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Rinse your mushrooms well.
Add oil to a large soup pot and heat to medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until slightly softened and then add celery and carrot. Cook for 7-10 minutes until all vegetables have softened and then add your chopped garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. I always throw my garlic in last before the wet ingredients so it doesn't burn.
After the vegetables have softened, remove the reconstituted dried mushrooms with a slotted spoon and finely dice. A slap chopper makes quick work of this. Run the reserved 2 cups of water through a strainer to capture any solids and sediment.
Add the chopped reconstituted chanterelles and sliced fresh mushrooms. Cook for about 15 minutes until all the mushrooms have sweated out their moisture and it has evaporated.
Next, add 1/2 cup of Sherry and cook for a few minutes until evaporated, about 3-4 minutes. Then add the reserved soaking liquid, broth, thyme and barley. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 40-45 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice in your bowl if desired. I never add salt to this. I find the broth adds enough.
Mushroom Barley Soup w/ Stoverags. Enjoy!
The stoverags were made a day prior, So I just reheated them covered in the microwave for 45 seconds and brushed brown butter that I made on the stove. They still hit the spot for me.
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Okay, now for the Lokshi. It is basically day old mashed cold mashed potatoes mixed with flour. Mix potatoes and flour together until it gets "doughy"...(not my words). Form into balls and then roll into a thin flat circle with a rolling pin. When I asked, how much potatoes to flour, I got "I don't know, until it looks right." No wonder why old recipes can be a pain in the ass!! So I prodded a little more and was told a cup of potatoes to a half-cup of flour...... depending on the potatoes
I cup mashed potatoes
1/2 cup flour
brown butter
Balls are formed.
Once all the dough is rolled flat, heat in an ungreased cast iron skillet or pan until brown spots appear on both sides. Only a few minutes per side. Once they are finished, brush with browned butter. Roll up and brush with more browned butter. Keep under wax paper when making them.
Thanks for looking,
Joe
Also, my mother sent over a few homemade stoverags "lokshi" that she made the other day. They are made with leftover mashed potatoes. They're basically a buttered Polish tortilla. I grew up on these because my grandmother would make this all the time for us. She lived in a household where nothing went to waste. Lokshi is informally called "stoverags" because they would be cooked right on the surface of the coal stove. I wanted to make these the day after New Year's with leftover mashed potatoes. I called my mom to get a quick refresher on making them but I didn't realize I had no leftover potatoes!! Well, I guess she got a hankering for them since I mentioned them. I told her to take pictures. I'll post them at the end.
Mushroom Barley Soup
1oz. dried mushrooms. I used chanterelle's
4T. olive oil
5 carrots, diced
5 ribs of celery, diced
2 medium onions, diced
10 cloves of garlic, chopped (this was a bulb)
2lb. of sliced mushrooms
1/2c. Sherry or cooking wine
4 cartons of beef stock (16 cups). I use College Inn "Bold" flavor
1.5 c dried barley
2T. dried thyme
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Start off by soaking the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Make sure to save the water. These are the mushrooms I used:
While the dried mushrooms are reconstituting, start chopping your onion, carrot, celery, garlic. Rinse your mushrooms well.
Add oil to a large soup pot and heat to medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until slightly softened and then add celery and carrot. Cook for 7-10 minutes until all vegetables have softened and then add your chopped garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. I always throw my garlic in last before the wet ingredients so it doesn't burn.
After the vegetables have softened, remove the reconstituted dried mushrooms with a slotted spoon and finely dice. A slap chopper makes quick work of this. Run the reserved 2 cups of water through a strainer to capture any solids and sediment.
Add the chopped reconstituted chanterelles and sliced fresh mushrooms. Cook for about 15 minutes until all the mushrooms have sweated out their moisture and it has evaporated.
Next, add 1/2 cup of Sherry and cook for a few minutes until evaporated, about 3-4 minutes. Then add the reserved soaking liquid, broth, thyme and barley. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 40-45 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice in your bowl if desired. I never add salt to this. I find the broth adds enough.
Mushroom Barley Soup w/ Stoverags. Enjoy!
The stoverags were made a day prior, So I just reheated them covered in the microwave for 45 seconds and brushed brown butter that I made on the stove. They still hit the spot for me.
--------------------------------------------------------
Okay, now for the Lokshi. It is basically day old mashed cold mashed potatoes mixed with flour. Mix potatoes and flour together until it gets "doughy"...(not my words). Form into balls and then roll into a thin flat circle with a rolling pin. When I asked, how much potatoes to flour, I got "I don't know, until it looks right." No wonder why old recipes can be a pain in the ass!! So I prodded a little more and was told a cup of potatoes to a half-cup of flour...... depending on the potatoes
I cup mashed potatoes
1/2 cup flour
brown butter
Balls are formed.
Once all the dough is rolled flat, heat in an ungreased cast iron skillet or pan until brown spots appear on both sides. Only a few minutes per side. Once they are finished, brush with browned butter. Roll up and brush with more browned butter. Keep under wax paper when making them.
Thanks for looking,
Joe
