Embracing The Fungus – Mushroom Barley Soup

The weather has been pretty nuts here lately.  Not that I’m complaining, with my absolute hate of the bitter cold.  But it seems a bit odd to me when the days of January are sporting temperatures in the 50’s and (low) 60’s; and that oddness is compounded when you’re eating stews and other wintry-themed dished.  Madness!

Mushrooms Pearl Barley

Heather and I have both been trying to expand our horizons this year; returning to ingredients that we have less than pleasant feelings towards.  One of the big ones for me is the mushroom.  It’s a friggin’ fungus!  As a friend of mine once said: “you might as well lick the bottom of your shoe.”  To be fair, I’ve been slowly coming around to these suckers.  The stock I made for Slow Cooker week was quite successful and Lost Dog Cafe has, by far, the best veggie burger I have ever had (WITH mushrooms).  So here I go, jumping into the world of mushrooms!

The Makings Of Soup

Barley is not an ingredient you see very often in recipes, which is a shame.  Pearled barley is simple, healthy grain to work with and has a nutty flavor with a chewy texture.  It serves as an excellent thickener too.  I used this to complement some white button mushrooms.  And the result?  A tasty mushroom soup I’ll actually enjoy eating!  The flavor is subtle, but delicious.

Mushroom Barley Soup

Mushroom Barley Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion; chopped
1 carrot; diced
1 stalk celery; diced
1 cup pearl barley; rinsed and drained
10 oz mushrooms; cleaned and sliced (I used white button)
6 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 fresh chives
salt and black pepper to taste

Heat a large stock pot under medium heat and cook the onion, carrot and celery with olive oil until softened; approximately 5-8 minutes. Add your remaining ingredients and simmer until the barley is soft but chewy. Serve and enjoy!

Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Mushrooms

Edwin says he loves veggies, but I don’t think he cares for mushrooms very much. This is sort of crazy, right? What kind of flexitarian can’t appreciate some quality mushrooms?

baby bellas

It’s true, mushrooms are a fungus. They have no roots, leaves, flowers or seeds, and the thought of eating fungus is more than a little disturbing. But if you can put all that aside, they’re really a pretty neat food that can add great flavor to your meals.

baby bella capsdiced bellas

You might have guessed, they’re good for you! They can also be a little dangerous, as they’re sometimes confused with young specimens of the deadly poisonous destroying angel mushroom (destroying angel – what an amazing name!).

spinachcheesebellas

They do have some special storage and prep concerns that you may want to consider to preserve their moisture without becoming soggy and keep them fresh for several days (brought to you by whfoods.com:

ready for oven

  • Store loose button mushrooms in the refrigerator either in a loosely closed paper bag, wrapped in a damp cloth or laid out in a glass dish covered with a moist cloth.
  • Store prepackaged mushrooms in the refrigerator for up to one week in their original container.
  • Clean them using minimal water – wipe them with a slightly damp paper towel or kitchen cloth, as mushrooms are very porous and may absorb water during cleaning and become soggy.

stuffed

I made these for lunch recently one weekend for my husband Morgan and I, and we really enjoyed them. This is a fairly mild recipe – no strong, spotlight stealing spices or pungent cheeses. If you’d like more kick to yours, try sprinkling a little more cayenne over the top, or using a salty cheese like Pecorino Romano.

stuffedmushroom

Enjoy!

Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Mushrooms

1 medium prepackaged container of baby bella mushrooms
1/2 square package frozen chopped spinach, cooked
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
12 turns of black pepper, 4 turns of salt
2 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs
cayenne pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Wipe away any dirt on the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Pop off the stems by hand (they come out much easier than if you try cutting) and dice stems.

Combine cooked spinach, diced mushroom stems, garlic and cheese (leaving out just a little bit of cheese) in a medium bowl. Using a small spoon, stuff mushrooms caps carefully so that they do not break.

Combine bread crumbs, salt, pepper, 2 or 3 taps of cayenne and a small glug of extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl. Bring together with a fork.

Sprinkle caps with remaining cheese and bread crumb mixture. Cook for 20 minutes; serve immediately.