Mushroom Barley Soup

This is the first recipe I tried from the cookbook, Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family. This is definitely no cream of mushroom soup, but if you like mushrooms then you will enjoy this soup. And I like barley, so this is a keeper, but I will probably make half the recipe next time.

1 cup pearl barley
10 cups water
1 pound mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons tamari
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Cook the barley: Combine the barley and 2 cups of the water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and cook over very low heat for 30 to 35 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Put about 3/4 pound of the mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor and finely chop them, scraping down the sides if necessary. Reserve. Thinly slice the remaining mushrooms and set them aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large soup pot. Stir in the onions, celery, and bay leaves and saute over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Stir in the garlic, then add the finely chopped mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, then add the remaining 8 cups of water, salt, tamari, black pepper, and reserved barley. Bring the soup to a near boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

While the soup simmers, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and saute them for 3 to 4 minutes, until they're nicely browned. Stir the mushrooms, parsley, and cayenne into the soup about 5 minutes before serving. Or stir the mushrooms into individual portions if your kids don't eat them.