Chicken soup is the Jewish mother’s signature medication, but while January grips us in it relatively mild Bay Area claws, perhaps any soup will do. Soups are easily made in advance and reheated, and as such really are a busy person’s best friend. If you’re serving at a party, make a double batch, and serve from a crockpot to maintain heat and all-night snacking.
The Triple Mushroom and Barley Soup was created to please the grown-ups attending my daughter’s 6th birthday party. I had decided that what all 5-almost-6-year-old girls need is a drop-off slumber party. The adult crew was small: two of my friends, Rachel and Becky, who came over to help, and the birthday girl’s grandparents, who showed up to chuckle quietly at my hubris.
Turns out that 5-almost-6 may indeed be on the young side for a sleep-over party. Or maybe my imagination is simply a more peaceful place than reality. At the slumber party, the garlic bread burned and set off the fire alarm. A slew of firemen showed up with their truck. A nail-polish bottle broke, blood spilled and one of the children awoke at 2:30 a.m. ready to party. But the Mushroom and Barley Soup was a hit among the adults, and the Poblano Bisque is mighty fine, too.
Triple Mushroom and Barley Soup
Serves 6
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup fennel, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced small
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. sun-dried tomato, packed in oil, minced
1 Tbs. garlic, minced
1 cup pearl barley
1⁄2 lb. small button mushrooms, destemmed and quartered
1⁄2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, destemmed and sliced
1⁄2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, torn in small pieces
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (mushroom stock preferred)
2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 1⁄2 tsp. salt
plenty of fresh ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup Parmesan, coarsely grated
1 Tbs. thyme leaves
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, fennel and carrot and sauté over low heat for 8 minutes. Add butter, sun-dried tomato and garlic. When butter melts, add barley and sauté. Add both kinds of fresh mushrooms and the dried porcini, sauté for 2 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil and then simmer gently over medium-low heat, partially covered till barley is tender — 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar, salt, black pepper, Parmesan and thyme.
Poblano Pepper and Corn Bisque
Serves 4-6
1⁄4 cup olive oil
4 poblano peppers, deveined, seeded, chopped
2 leeks, cleaned and whites coarsely chopped
1 Tbs. garlic, minced
1 1⁄2 cups corn kernels (from two ears or frozen)
2 tsp. cumin
4 cups chicken stock
1 to 1 1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Heat oil until hot but not smoking. Sauté poblano peppers 10 minutes. Add leeks and garlic and sauté 5 more minutes. Add corn and cumin. Sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes. Purée. Season with salt and pepper.
Josie A.G. Shapiro won the 2013 Man-O Manischewitz Cook-Off, is the co-author of “The Lazy Gourmet” and works at the JCC of San Francisco. Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Her website is www.thechickencontests.com.