Mushroom Farro Soup

OK, this is just soup porn. I adore mushrooms and had a nearly disastrous experience with my last attempt at a Polish style dried Boletus stew.  Seems they weren't as free of dirt as I thought they were and being an inexperienced mushroom cleaner I merely gave them a dry-cloth brushing when they were in need of a good, long soaking.  The end result was gritty and bland, such a disappointment since I used up an entire bag of imported mushrooms delivered to me from an out-of-state Polish deli.
But I feel confident, this looks fairly straightforward and I'm salivating just after reading the recipe.

Thanks for sharing Smitten Kitchen, I'll let you know how it turns out!


Mushroom Farro Soup
Adapted from Marian Burros’ mama, via The New York Times


Makes about 7 cups
1/3 cup dried mushrooms like porcini
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound mushrooms (white, cremini, shiitake or a mixture thereof; I used 100% brown/creminis)
1/2 cup farro, pearled barley, or spelt, rinsed
6 cups low sodium or salt-free beef broth or stock (vegetable, mushroom or chicken stock can be swapped)
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar


Cover dried mushrooms with 1 cup boiling water, and set aside for 20 minutes, or while you prepare the rest of the soup. 
Trim and slice mushrooms, then give them a rough chop to your desired texture.
Heat oil in heavy-bottomed deep pot. 
Sauté onions and carrots over medium heat until onions begin to color, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
Add garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds. 
Add fresh mushrooms, and cook until they begin to release liquid, about 5 to 10 minutes. Raise heat and add barley; sauté until it begins to color (this didn’t really happen for me, because the mushroom liquid was still sloshing about).
Add broth, sherry and tomato paste.
Drain porcinis and finely chop; strain mushroom-soaking liquid to remove any grit and add to pot along with the reconstituted mushrooms. 
Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 40 minutes, until barley is tender. 
Stir in sherry vinegar; adjust seasonings and serve.