Vegetable Barley Soup Recipe 445

Steps:

• Pour the vegetable broth into a large pot. Add the barley, carrots, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, garbanzo beans, onion, and bay leaves. Season with garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, curry powder, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 90 minutes. The soup will be very thick. You may adjust by adding more broth or less barley if desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Steps:

• In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the first eight ingredients. Stir in the water, broth, barley, bay leaf and seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until barley and vegetables are tender. , Stir in tomatoes; cover and cook on high for 10-20 minutes or until heated through. Discard bay leaf.

Steps:

• Place porcini mushrooms in a bowl; add hot water to cover (about 1 1/2 cups). Let stand until mushrooms are soft, 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent. Add thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Stir in barley and cook until it begins to brown and smell sweet.
• Lift mushrooms out of soaking liquid. Strain liquid through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and set aside. Chop mushrooms coarsely and add to barley mixture. Add 1/2 cup Madeira, raise heat to medium-high, and cook until liquid is nearly evaporated. Reduce heat to medium, add reserved soaking liquid, and cook until liquid is almost completely reduced.
• Stem Swiss chard. Chop stems into 1/2-inch pieces; add to barley mixture. Chop leaves into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Drain tomatoes and add tomato juice to barley along with vegetable stock. Seed and core tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice, and set aside. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds with a spoon. Remove skin and cut flesh into 1/2-inch cubes. Add squash, 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper to soup. Let simmer about 50 minutes, skimming foam occasionally. Add chopped tomatoes for last 20 minutes of cooking time.
• Just before serving, add chopped Swiss chard leaves and remaining 1/2 cup Madeira. Cook until chard is just tender, 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and serve.