Mushroom Barley Soup

This is one of those simple "toss-everything-you-got-in-the-pot"-type of soups. I love it - it's easy (although it takes two hours!) and very tasty. It's just the thing on a cold winter's eve... something which we happen to have an abundance of here in Sweden.

Mushroom Barley Soup
serves 4

1 large yellow onion
1 large carrot
1 parsnip
1 turnip
100 g celeriac
100 g rutabaga/swede
80 g barley
200 g fresh mushrooms
1,5 liters boiling water
handful of dried mushrooms
splash of dry sherry
salt, pepper
olive oil

Start by chopping all the vegetables. Feel free to substitute any that you don't like, adding or retracting as you please. Everything should be in fairly small dice, except the fresh mushrooms that I usually just divide in largish pieces.

Heat a large soup pot with a little olive oil. Fry the veggies, except for the fresh mushrooms, for a couple of minutes. Add a splash of sherry, and let it cook in. Add the dried mushrooms. Add the boiling water, which should cover everything well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover with a lid. Let simmer for two hours. After about one hour, add the fresh mushrooms. Season to taste before serving.

Korngrynssoppa med svamp