"Designer soups," as Jordon Carroll calls chef-inspired pureed soups, often have lots of added butter and cream. She prefers old-fashioned ones like this mushroom-barley, which gets its flavor from good-quality beef stock.
I really love this recipe. I was very skeptical the first time I made it. Thought it was too simple to be good. I was wrong. It is wonderful. I can throw the ingredients in a pot and I get this awesome, comforting soup. I hate winters and with Covid I really need this simple soup hug.
I tend to look at a number of recipes when I have a dish in mind, and what I end up with is, hopefully, the best of the best! I cooked up the barley separately, with a bit of beef stock and water. Sauteed the veggies and put them aside. Then sauteed the mushrooms in batches, so they would have a chance to brown a bit. THEN, I dumpted it all together, and simmered for 20-30 minutes.
