This Month’s Recipe: Winter Root Vegetable Soup
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
2 med cloves garlic
Kosher salt
4 slices bacon
2 med red onions, chopped
2 small bay leaves
3/4 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts chicken broth
5 med carrots, peeled and diced
2 med turnips, peeled and diced
2 med Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
In a small bowl, soak the mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water for
20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and pour the liquid through a fine strainer to remove any grit. Reserve the liquid. Rinse and chop the mushrooms and set aside.
Chop the garlic, sprinkle it with 3/4 tsp salt and mash it to a paste with a chef’s knife. Set aside.
In a 6 qt or larger Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Cool and crumble, set aside.
Add the onions and 1 tsp salt to the bacon grease and cook, stirring often, until softened. Stir in the garlic paste, bay leaves, caraway seeds, thyme and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped mushrooms, mushroom liquid, chicken broth, turnips, potatoes, barley and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat , cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the barley and vegetables are tender, 20-25 minutes. Add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, discard bay leaves. Serve garnished with the crumbled bacon.
You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
From Fine Cooking Magazine.
