Creamy Mushroom Soup without the Cream

Here's a creamy mushroom soup recipe that I had made (quite sometime ago) without using any cream. And it tasted as good as the ones using cream which sometimes do get a bit cloying.

What's the secret to it ? Use pearl barley !

Ingredients

- 2 cups chopped onions (2 medium ones)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup uncooked pearl barley (do not use the Chinese barley. I use the Ayam Brand White Pearl Barley)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 pounds white mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup sherry (I omitted this)
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste

1) Saute onions and garlic in a large heavy pot in water or sherry.

2) Add barley and nutmeg and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

3) Add chopped mushrooms, broth and sherry.

4) Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.

5) Add parsely and cool soup slightly.

6) Puree soup in a food processor or blender until smooth or to your preferred consistency (I use a hand-held blender and blend it directly in the pot).

7) Return to the pot (if you're not blending it directly in the pot with a hand-held blender) and season with salt and pepper.

8) Reheat and serve garnished with more sliced mushrooms (optional).


Ok, as I've said, I made this quite sometime ago and I really can't remember how many it serves. But I do remember that it was just as delicious as the ones made with cream.

When I do make this again, I'll repost it with pics.