Old School Barley Mushroom Soup Recipe

Rinse mushrooms in cold water thoroughly - they have sand in them Soak mushrooms in 3 cups of water overnight. Don't drain the water -

Reserve the mushroom water (it should be very dark)

Slice all mushrooms in a uniform way Return mushrooms in water, add the remaining water or stock Bring to boil Add barley and cook about 1 hour or until barley is tender -

Meanwhile, peel and cube the potatoes Melt butter in a skillet Saute carrots and onions until very fragrant and onions are translucent and golden Throw potatoes, onions and carrots into the soup and cook until potatoes are done Add salt and pepper to taste Add parsley -

Soup should be fairly thick, but not too thick -

Chop your dill pickles finely and serve as garnish on your soup along with a 1/2 tbsp of sour cream -

Another option is to add 1/2 cup of cream to the soup pot, mix well, and then puree the soup until smooth. This way, leftovers can be used instead of condensed cream of mushroom soup in other dishes