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Slow Cooker 5-Mushroom Barley Soup Recipe

Recipe by: Doug N

"This hearty version of an American classic soup is inspired by 'Chef Jakey' of the long-gone 'Steak Pub' in 1970's Monticello, NY. Long ago, I lived and worked in the upstate New York resort town of Monticello. As an electrical contractor, one of my clients was an upscale restaurant called 'The Steak Pub.' They had an Asian head chef named 'Jakey.' During winter months when business was slow, we spent hours doing electrical upgrades. Inevitably, we would be there at lunch time, and Jakey would invite us to his specialty, Mushroom Barley Soup, with hot sourdough. The addition of the cream of mushroom soup gives a creamier end result. Serve hot with sourdough or other fine bread, or garlic rounds."

Directions
Ingredients
Nutrition

Directions

Prep20 m
Cook8 h
Ready In8 h 20 m

1Heat water in a slow cooker set to High until hot; add barley, beef broth, milk, olive oil, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, white mushrooms, brown beech mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, black mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, salt, and ground mixed peppercorns to the slow cooker.
2Cover and cook on High for 1 hour.
3Remove shiitake mushrooms with a slotted spoon and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Reduce heat setting to Low and continue cooking 7 hours more.

Footnotes

Cook's Notes:
If planning for a dinner meal, depending on time of day, stop cooking until three hours before serving time. Re-heat on HIGH for first hour, reduce to LOW for remaining 2 hours.
If preparing before going to work, place on LOW setting before leaving. Cooking may extend beyond 8 hours but will only deepen the flavor. Insure cover is in place tightly, to avoid evaporation of liquid. If needed, add additional water or milk to thin to desired consistency.
Brown Beech mushrooms usually come attached to rhizome root ball. Cut from mushrooms and chop finely for earthy flavoring.
Easy Cleanup
Try using a liner in your slow cooker for easier cleanup.

Ingredients