Home > Worldwide Recipes > Russia > Russian Home Cooking > Mushroom And Barley Soup
Pokhlyobka
Mushroom And Barley Soup
Pokhlyobka
Pokhlyobka is a typical, hearty peasant soup. In true rustic style it is usually eaten with black bread generously rubbed with raw garlic. Real garlic lovers simply eat the garlic straight: take a whole peeled clove of garlic and dip it in salt before biting into it. This kind of garlic- eating is best done among friends.
Ingredients
3 oz (60 g) butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 onions, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 ½ pints (1.5 litres) rich beef stock
4 oz (120 g) raw pearl barley
1 lb (450 g) mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 large potato, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 carrots, scraped and sliced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh dill or ½ teaspoon dried dill
Soured cream (optional)
Details
Serves: 7
Method
In a stockpot saute the onions and garlic in 1 oz (30 g) butter until soft. Pour in the beef stock, stirring well, then add the potato, carrots, bay leaves, dill, salt, pepper and barley. Bring the soup to the boil and then simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, or until the barley is tender.
Saute the mushrooms in the remaining butter for 3 minutes. Stir them into the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice. Test for seasoning. Pour the soup into bowls and garnish with a spoonful of soured cream, if desired.
Variation:- For a more strongly flavoured soup, 1 ½ oz (45 g) dried mushrooms may be substituted for the fresh mushrooms. Soak them in water to cover for 20 minutes, then drain and slice. Add to the beef stock along with the potato, carrots and barley.
Related food category:
