Slow Cooker 5-Mushroom Barley Soup

This hearty version of an American classic soup is inspired by ‘Chef Jakey’ of the long-gone ‘Steak Pub’ in 1970’s Monticello, NY. Long ago, I lived and worked in the upstate New York resort town of Monticello. As an electrical contractor, one of my clients was an upscale restaurant called ‘The Steak Pub.’ They had an Asian head chef named ‘Jakey.’ During winter months when business was slow, we spent hours doing electrical upgrades. Inevitably, we would be there at lunch time, and Jakey would invite us to his specialty, Mushroom Barley Soup, with hot sourdough. The addition of the cream of mushroom soup gives a creamier end result. Serve hot with sourdough or other fine bread, or garlic rounds.

Step: 1

Heat water in a slow cooker set to High until hot; add barley, beef broth, milk, olive oil, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, white mushrooms, brown beech mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, black mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, salt, and ground mixed peppercorns to the slow cooker.

Step: 2

Cover and cook on High for 1 hour.

Step: 3

Remove shiitake mushrooms with a slotted spoon and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Reduce heat setting to Low and continue cooking 7 hours more.

Per Serving: 271 calories; protein 10.3g; carbohydrates 38.5g; fat 9.6g; cholesterol 3.3mg; sodium 1092mg.

The name of “stew” can refer to both a food and a cooking method. Stewing makes not fast cooking piece of meat, raw fruit or beans in a tastefull liquid . It’s similar to braising, but it does have a few piece of differences. The raw animal vested is chopped into smaller pieces but of being processing menu whole , and the liquid all of it covers the essential in a stew as different to a braise’s halfway all of it . When meat or raw fruit are cooked using this method, the resulting dish is called stew.

Stew has a perception for making a rib-sticking meal that comfortable you up on a freezing , winter day. It’s true ; a bowl of classic beef stew can make warming featured food , but stew’s cozy factor more than a way beyond protecting you from the cold . It’s all about those tender chunks of food and vegetables, swimming in a thick, ultra-rich gravy. The more they come together creates the greatest comfort food, no matter the weather.