I love one-dish soup meals. Just add bread and a salad and you are ready to eat. Seriously Simple to cook and serve, this hearty version of a classic deli-style soup is replete with both pungent dried mushrooms and fresh earthy cremini mushrooms.

Feel free to select any combination of dried mushrooms you prefer for this soup to create your own personal stamp. I try to find packages that have a variety of mushrooms for a more complex flavor. Adding a touch of soy sauce at the end of cooking brings out the rustic, earthy flavors of the mushrooms. Even though this is a clear-based soup, the barley makes it more substantial.

This is the soup to make for a satisfying meal on a cold day. This basic vegetarian version can stand on its own or will be heartier with the suggested turkey or meat additions below. What makes this soup so intensely savory? Dried mushrooms pack a powerful punch of deep, rich flavor.

If you want an even more substantial soup, you can add a skinless turkey thigh or a pound of beef flanken to the soup as it simmers. Just before serving, shred the turkey meat or beef flanken and return to the pot. Pearl barley is barley that has the bran removed and is then steamed and polished. This helps it cook a little faster than regular unprocessed barley. This soup freezes well and also can prepared up to two days ahead of serving. Just make sure to adjust the seasonings when reheating it.

Mushroom Barley Soup

Serves 6

1 ounce dried porcini or morel or other dried mushrooms, soaked in 2 cups of boiling water for 30 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned and coarsely chopped

...continued