Savta Norma’s Mushroom, Bean and Barley Soup

My MIL was not one to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  She loved to host people but it was much less about the food than the people. She and my FIL were also often hosted and she picked up a few recipes that were memorable and made them regularly so that if I mention to my kids Savta Norma’s soup they hum mushroom, bean and barley mmmm. 

I asked for and got her recipe many, many years ago and while I am reluctant to guild the lily, I found when I added just one ingredient, it raised the soup from delicious to sublime.  I would often make the soup for Sukkot and would at the same time make corned beef, another Fund family favorite.  I saved all the bits and pieces that fell off the corned beef after slicing it up, chopped it into bits and added to the almost done soup.  OMG.  It added a smoky flavor that was truly awesome.  So now, this is a must.  If I make corned beef, I save every bit (and even scavenge some leftovers) pop into a ziplock bag, label and toss in the freezer for my next Savta soup. I’ve also thrown in chopped bits of roast beef which is also delish but corned beef tends to rule.  Umyum. So it depends on the luck of the draw somewhat. I have a new recipe for brisket (coming soon) which gives a smoky taste to the brisket so it was a no-brainer that it had to have bits chopped into the M, B & B soup. So let’s rustle up some delightful creamy, rib sticking, comfort food, soup.

Gather your ingredients

chop up your onions and sautee them till medium brown.

add the sliced mushrooms

Stir well and cook briefly together till lightly browned.

Once you’ve sauteed the onions and mushrooms, you have two choices. You can simply continue cooking the soup in the same pot, make sure you have room for 10-12 cups of water, or you can put your ingredients into a crockpot or slow cooker and let it do the rest of the work for you overnight. Really, it depends on my mood. So, now you put the chopped carrots in, and if you’re my son Netanel, you add potatoes as well (it’s a bit heavy for me n DH so we skip potatoes but it’s nice for an even more substantial soup). Add the baked beans, uncooked barley, mushroom soup powder, chopped beef/corned beef

and water and stir well.

As you can see, this time I used the crockpot but it varies. With the slow cooker, cover, set on low and let cook overnight till thick and delicious. In soup pot, stir all ingredients well, bring to boil and lower to low heat, cooking till soup thickens and barley turns creamy about 1.5-2 hours. Start with 10 cups of water, only adding more if soup gets too thick. Serve in deep bowls with bread or challah. Amazing and totally satisfying.

Savta Norma’s Mushroom, Bean and Barley Soup

1 large onion chopped
2-3 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil, not olive
3 cups raw mushrooms – I like a combo of portabellas and regular, washed and sliced
2 carrots grated or chopped
1-2 can baked beans, depending how beany you like it
1 cup uncooked barley
3 heaping tablespoons mushroom soup powder
10 – 12 cups of water
Chopped corned beef or roast beef, about 1 cup’s worth

Sauté onions in oil in large stock pot till medium brown (Make sure the pot is big enough to accommodate all the ingredients plus the water.  Remember also that the barley will swell considerably).  Add mushrooms and sauté briefly.  Take off fire, add carrots and baked beans, barley and sprinkle soup powder on top. Stir thoroughly to blend. Add chopped corned beef or cooked roast beef and add 10 – 12 cups of water and bring to boil, stir and lower to simmer.  Cook for about 1.5-2 hours, checking periodically that water is not boiling out,  till soup is thick and creamy.  If you cook for long enough, the barley gives up this creamy thickness that makes all the difference.  Alternatively, after sauteeing the onions and mushrooms, place them and all the rest of the ingredients in a slow cooker and turn on low and cook overnight till thick and creamy.