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Barley and mushroom in tomato broth

Mushrooms and Barley - In a Simple Tomato Broth

Combine celery,onions, tomatoes and cooked barley with spices and pressure cook 5 min. Season tofu cubes and roast until golden and crisp. Dice and saute mushrooms with garlic and black pepper in butter. Add pressure-cooked mixture, water and seasonings. Simmer to blend flavors. When ready to serve, drizzle olive oil, sprinkle paprika, stir and simmer 2-3 min. Serve hot, garnished with parsley and topped with roasted tofu cubes, with fresh bread and cheese. Enjoy!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting time to release preesure 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people
Calories 158 kcal

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker preferred If not available, no worries - you can make this soup on the stove-top without a pressure cooker. Note that this will take longer; see Recipe Notes for details

Ingredients
  

Cook together in Pressure Cooker

  • 1/2 cup Cooked Barley - soft-cooked and lightly seasoned If starting from dry barley grains, see Recipe Notes for how to cook Barley with simple seasonings
  • 1 cup Celery - diced small-medium about 2-3 stalks
  • 1/2 cup Tomatoes - diced small about 1 medium Roma tomato; other varieties OK too
  • 1/2 cup Onion - diced small any variety OK- white, yellow, red
  • 1 leaf Bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp Fennel powder
  • 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper: freshly crushed preferred
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Water

Seasoned Tofu

  • 1/4 tsp Fennel powder
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1/8 tsp Freshly crushed black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp Red chilli powder (cayenne)
  • 1 cup Firm Tofu - cut into small cubes, about 1/4 inch (3/4 cm) sides about 6 oz ( about 1/2 of a 12 oz pkg); cut into 1/4 inch (3/4 cm) thick slices from the block, then cut into cubes
  • 1/2 tsp Oil (optional) if you wish to pan-fry on the stove-top; I like to use peanut oil, but you may use a mild flavored nut-free oil of your choice

For Putting the Soup together

  • 1 1/2 cups Crimini (Cremini) Mushrooms - (Baby Bella) - diced medium, including stems 6-7 small-medium mushrooms; if Crimini mushrooms not available, white button mushrooms OK
  • 1 tsp Butter For vegan soup, use any mild oil of your choice; Note: I do not recommend using a cold-pressed oil for this step
  • 1 tsp Garlic - fresh, chopped Fresh garlic is best; I do not recommend using the chopped garlic preserved in glass jar - the taste and smell is not very appealing.
  • 1/4 tsp Crushed Black Pepper freshly crushed preferred
  • 2 tbsp Tomato paste add up to 1 tbsp more tomato paste if you like; alternatively, use 2/3 cup tomato juice, or see Recipe Notes for how to cook and puree fresh tomatoes
  • 2 1/2 cups Hot water use about 1/2 cup less water if using tomato juice instead of tomato paste.

Garnish

  • 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley - trimmed and chopped
  • 2 tsp Olive oil Extra-Virgin OK
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika

Instructions
 

Cook these items together in the pressure cooker

  • Wash and dice the celery stalks.
  • Rinse the tomatoes, then finely chop/dice.
    chopped tomatoes for curry
  • Peel and chop/dice the onions
    chopped onions
  • Transfer celery, tomatoes and onions to a stainless steel pressure cooker insert container. Add 1/2 cup water.
  • Add the cooked barley, bay leaf, fennel powder, crushed red pepper, freshly crushed black pepper and salt.
    Prepare the pressure cooker for pressure-steaming: place a rack inside the pressure cooker pot and add 1 1/2 - 2 cups water: this will generate the steam pressure for the pressure cooker
    Place the container with the soup ingredients on the rack.
    Note: the bottom of the container should be above the water level in the outer pot
    Close the lid and pressure cook for 5 min at full pressure.
    Allow pressure to release normally (OK to force-release any residual pressure left after 10 min of natural pressure release - be careful to avoid getting hot steam on your hands!)
    making barley soup base

Prepare the seasoned Tofu

  • While the vegetables cook in the pressure cooker, prepare the seasoned tofu.
    Line a plate with 2 layers of paper towels. Pour off the water from the tofu container and carefully invert the tofu block on the plate.
    Wait for a few min to allow the paper to absorb some of the moisture from the tofu.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the seasoning mixture in a small bowl: mix together the salt, red chilli powder (cayenne), crushed black pepper and fennel powder.
    spice mix for tofu
  • Transfer the dried tofu block to a cutting board. Cut the block in half, transfer one portion to a container with a good lid and store in the refrigerator for another use.
    Cut the remaining portion into 1/4 inch (3/4 cm) thick slices; slice these into 1/4 inch (3/4 cm) logs, and then into 1/4 inch (3/4 cm) cubes.
    tofu cubes
  • Transfer the cubes to a shallow bowl and sprinkle about 1/2 of the seasoning mixture.
    Gently turn the pieces and sprinkle the remaining seasoning mixture. stir gently to evenly coat all the tofu cubes with seasoning.
    spiced tofu cubes
  • Air-fry or toast the tofu till lightly browned and crisp. If Air-Fryer or toaster oven is not available, pan-fry the tofu with a few drops of oil in a non-stick frying pan until browned on all sides, turning frequently to prevent sticking and/or burning.
    Air-Fryer:
    Preheat the Air-Fryer: 400F (200 C)for 3-4 min; line the tray/basket with parchment and place the seasoned tofu in a single layer - do not stack or crowd the pieces; Air-Fry at 400 for 8-9 min, turning halfway, till lightly browned and crisp.
    Toaster Oven:
    Preheat the toaster oven: 400F for 3-4 min; line a baking tray with parchment and place the seasoned tofu in a single layer - do not stack or crowd the pieces; toast at 400 F (200 C) for 10-12 min, turning after 7-8 min, till lightly browned and crisp.
    Note: The pieces shrink quite a bit while browning- will yield about 1/2 cup toasted and browned tofu. Set aside until you're ready to serve the soup.
    tofu-seasoned and roasted

Start making the soup

  • While you wait for the pressure to be released from the pressure cooker, prep the garlic and mushrooms.
    Peel and dice the garlic.
    garlic
  • Rinse, pat dry and cut the mushrooms - medium-large dice
  • Melt butter in a medium saucepan-(2-3 quart / liter); add garlic and crushed black pepper and saute for 30 seconds
  • Add mushrooms and saute for about 1 min.
    garlicky mushrooms
  • By this time, the pressure should have been released from the pressure cooker. If not, and about 10 min have passed since the cooker was turned off, you can force-release the remaining pressure.
    Caution: while force-releasing any residual pressure, be sure to keep you hands and fingers away from the path of the released steam!
    barley soup base
  • Transfer the cooked veggies to the soup pot. Use a little hot water to collect any seasonings stuck to the container - add this to the soup pot. Add the remaining hot water to the soup and bring it to a boil on medium heat.
    mixing barley soup base with mushrooms
  • Mix the tomato paste with a little water, add to the soup pot an stir to mix. Cover and simmer for 3-4 min.
    If using tomato puree/juice instead of paste, there's no need to pre-mix it with water- just add it directly.
    See Recipe Notes for how to prep fresh tomatoes for using in this step.
    tomato puree in soup
  • barley soup with tomato puree

Garnish and Serve

  • Trim, wash and chop parsley.
    chopped parsley
  • When ready to serve:
    Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then add extra-virgin olive oil to the hot soup.
  • Sprinkle paprika directly on the oil and gently stir the paprika into the oil.
  • Simmer for a few min to let flavors blend. Taste test and adjust for salt: you may need to add 1/8 - 1/4 tsp more, as per your personal preference.
    Mushroom Barley soup ready to serve
  • Garnish with chopped parsley and serve, piping hot.
    Add several pieces of toasted seasoned tofu to individual bowls. Serve remaining tofu pieces on the side, along with fresh bread, sliced cheese, crudites, etc.
    If you like, you can also set out shredded Parmesan cheese on the side.
    Barley and mushroom in tomato broth
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Cook Barley with seasonings:
If you don't have cooked barley on hand, follow these directions for making 1 cup of soft-cooked seasoned barley. Since this recipe calls for 1/2 cup, you can stash the leftover 1/2 cup of cooked barley in the freezer for another time.
  • Soak 1/4 cup pearled barley (dry) in 1 cup water (measure!) in a small stainless steel bowl for about 30 min
  • Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp crushed pepper,1/4 tsp fennel seeds, 1 bay leaf, 4-5 whole black peppercorns and 1/2 tsp oil.
  • Place a rack in the pressure cooker pot and add about 1 1/2 -2 cups water
  • Place the bowl with the soaked barley on the rack. Cover and pressure cook for 5 min at full pressure.
  • Allow pressure to release normally (10-12 min)
  • Remove the bowl from pressure cooker (it's hot - use tongs!) and set aside to cool: the cooked barley looks "wet" at first- it starts to look more dry as it cools.
soaked barley with spices
barley -cooked with spices
 
Cooking barley without pressure-cooker
If a pressure cooker isn't available, no worries. Follow the directions outlined below for cooking the barley.
  • Soak the dry barley grains along with the spices:
    • 1/4 cup pearled barley (dry) in 1 cup water (measure!) in a small stainless steel bowl for about 30 min
    • Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp crushed pepper,1/4 tsp fennel seeds, 1 bay leaf, 4-5 whole black peppercorns and 1/2 tsp oil.
  • Cook the barley by one of the methods described below:
    • Steamer:
      • Place this bowl in a steamer basket and steam for 40-45 min, maybe even longer, until the water is mostly absorbed and the barley grains are soft-cooked.
    • Heavy-bottom saucepan
      • Bring 1 cup water to boil in a medium heavy-bottom saucepan (2 quart / liter)
      • Transfer the soaked barley and bring back to a rolling boil.
      • Lower the heat, cover loosely - keep lid partially open to prevent frothing and boiling over- and simmer,
        • stir every 4-5 min to prevent sticking/burning on the bottom, for about 40-45 min until liquid is mostly absorbed and the barley is soft-cooked.
        • If the water seems to be drying out before the barley is cooked, add 1/4 cup boiling water and decrease the heat to low.
        • Cover partially and continue cooking until done, adding more water if needed.
    • Rice cooker
      • Bring 1 cup water to boil in the rice cooker pot
      • Transfer the soaked barley and continue to cook heat until it starts to boil again.
      • Cover and cook until the rice cooker beeps at the end. It will likely take about 30-35 min.
        • Stir a couple of times along the way to check for burning on the bottom. 
        • Add 1/4 cup boiling water after the cooking is done, cover and unplug the cooker. Keep covered for about 10 min before using. The barley should look moist and plump and have a soft-cooked texture.
 
Cook the soup vegetables without pressure cooker:
If you don't have a pressure cooker, use a heavy bottom saucepan to cook the celery, onion and tomatoes. Note that this will take quite a bit longer to cook.
  • Cook the mixed vegetables, along with the spices and 1 cup of water, in a medium heavy bottom saucepan for about 25-30 min.
    • Bring the mixture to a rapid boil on high heat
    • Lower the heat, cover ans simmer until the vegetables are soft-cooked.
      • Check for done-ness after about 20 min: remove a celery piece, cool for a minute and bite into it. If it is still a bit crunchy, it needs to cook a little longer (5-7 min)
  • Now add 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup of the cooked barley and simmer for another 8-10 min.
  • Use as directed in the recipe, after sauteeing the mushrooms with garlic, black pepper and butter.
 
Pureed fresh tomatoes:
If you wish to use fresh tomatoes instead of prepared tomato paste or tomato juice to make this soup:
  • Rinse and chop tomatoes - about 1 cup, from 2-3 small medium Roma tomatoes
  • Place in a microwave safe glass/ceramic bowl and microwave on Hi, 3-4 min - volume will shrink to about 2/3 cup.
  • When cool, transfer to a blender and blend till smooth, adding a little water, if needed.
    • No need to strain the pureed tomatoes.
 
Do-ahead planning:
If you want to do some advance prep for this soup, you can do several things up to 2-3 days in advance, then finish putting it together just before you serve it up.
  • Cook the barley up to 2-3 days in advance - refrigerate until ready to use
    • You could also prepare it earlier and freeze it - measure it before freezing in a shallow container - it will thaw more easily.
      • Take it out about an hour or so before you start putting the soup together: let it thaw completely before adding to soup - it's OK to microwave it for a minute or so to finish thawing. 
  • If using pureed fresh tomatoes, prepare the puree (as described above) up to 2 days in advance - refrigerate until ready to use
    • You could also prepare it earlier and freeze it  - measure it before freezing in a small shallow container - it will thaw more easily.
      • Take it out about an hour or so before you start putting the soup together: let it thaw completely before adding to soup - it's OK to microwave it for a minute or so to finish thawing. 
  • Chop the vegetables and cook the celery-onion-tomato mixture up to 1 day in advance - refrigerate until ready to use
  • Season and roast the tofu up to 1 day in advance - refrigerate until ready to use. Before serving:
    • Bake in a toaster oven for 2-3 min to re-crisp.
    • Or, heat it through in a frying pan with a few drops of oil till sizzling hot and slightly crisp.
  • Dice the mushrooms up to 1 day in advance - refrigerate until ready to use.
    • I do not recommend sauteing the mushrooms in advance.
 
Storing leftovers:
Refrigerate leftover soup in a glass container: I do not recommend using plastic containers for storing this soup.
I do not recommend freezing this soup.
  • The texture and appearance of this soup after thawing is not very appealing.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 158kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 9gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 332mgPotassium: 446mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1022IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 127mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Barley, celery, Fennel powder, firm tofu, mushrooms, Tomatoes
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