Behold a delicious nutritional powerhouse. A beautiful bowl of earthy Barley Miso Soup packed with mushrooms and dark leafy spinach. A gut happy recipe that will also give you a healthy boost during sniffle season.
The leaves are all turning to oranges and reds out in the country. It’s one of my favorite times of the year when my sweaters replace my linen shirts and cozy boots snug my toes. I don’t always love the incessant creeping of darkness at the end of work days, but a pot of simmering soup is a welcome antidote.
This time of year our socializing is comprised of more long dinners with friends. It’s nice to ease into chairs and not feel too quick to run back out into the chilly, often wet, night air. The result is a bit more sitting, sipping and eating. These are all wonderful things over the weekend, but come Monday it’s nice to get back some balance.
The fermented miso is a natural probiotic to get your gut back on track, along with the fiber in the barley and the generous heap of leeks and scallions. I started out making a broth using shiitake mushrooms, but topped the bowl off with seared Oyster and Brown Beech mushrooms.
These I bought at Whole Foods in one of their variety packs, so no need to hunt and peck for several varieties individually. If you can’t get a hold of these varieties, go with the ones you can find. They are all wonderfully flavored and each have their own healthful properties. A great place to find a variety of mushrooms are Asian Markets. There are often varieties such as maitake, enoki and king mushrooms along with the shiitake, oyster and brown beech shown here.
The recipe only takes about 30 minutes to make, with 20 of it hands off. It’s so nice to get a fragrant warm pot of simmering soup on the stove as the darkness descends. Serve it with a slice of crusty sourdough bread and a crunchy salad on the side for a complete meal.
This is also a nice soup to take to the office the next day for lunch. If you are looking for a little more heft you can add some cubes of tofu if you like.
The mushrooms are known for having high antioxidant properties, and anti-viral as well. They are high in B-vitamins and trace minerals such as copper. We tend to think of mushrooms as weak nutritionally, largely I think because they are so light and have so few calories, but in my opinion the more mushrooms you can get into your diet the better.
You’ll love this soup because:
- it’s quick and easy to make
- it’s full of antioxidants
- it’s pre and pro biotic
- your skin will glow
- your eyes and brain will be happy
- and it’s earthy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 large leek, sliced ~ 2 cups
- 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 6 cups water
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup pearled barley
- 2 cups rough chopped spinach
- 4 branches of Oyster mushrooms
- 4 small bunches of Brown Beech mushrooms
- 1/4 cup miso- I used white, but any style will do
- Fresh pepper
- 2 scallions sliced
Instructions
Heat a 5 qt pan over medium heat and add the leeks and shiitake. Sautee until they are soft, adding water in small amounts to prevent sticking. Add the ginger and stir for 1 minute.
Add the water, soy sauce, and barley and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the barley is cooked and tender.
Meanwhile, heat a cast iron pan, or other heavy pan, over high heat. When the pan is super hot, add the mushrooms face down. Press down with a spatula to get as much contact as possible. Cook for approximately 3 minutes or until the mushrooms are seared and crispy around the edges. Alternatively use a grill pan. Set aside.
When the barley is cooked, place the miso into a small bowl and add some of the broth to make a sauce like consistency. Toss in the spinach and stir, then toss in the miso and stir. Cook for 1 minute longer so the spinach is just cooked and still bright green. Do not boil.
Divide between 4 bowls and top with the mushrooms and a splash of scallions.
Notes
A wonderful make ahead meal. You can opt to add the spinach (or other dark greens- kale, bok choy, chard, etc) during the warming up process.