When I first heard about Ari Weinzweig's
delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I couldn't believe it. A
deli in the home of my alma mater. It's not really a deli but
more of an international food emporium like New York's Zabar's
with a definite Jewish touch. Mr. Weinzweig, a drop-out Ph.D.
candidate, has taken an academic and appetizing interest in updating
Jewish recipes like mushroom and barley soup, going back in history
to the nineteenth-century Eastern European version similar to
that served at New York's Second Avenue Deli. - J. Nathan
Zingerman's Ann Arbor Mushroom
and Barley Soup
2 tablespoons dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons margarine
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery with leaves, diced
1/4 cup parsley
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound fresh porcini or other mushrooms
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 quarts beef broth or water
1 cup whole barley
2 teaspoons salt
- Soak the mushrooms in enough hot water
to cover for a half hour. Strain through a filter. Reserve the
water.
- Coarsely chop the dried mushrooms.
- Melt the margarine in a stockpot and sauté
the onion, celery, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, carrot, garlic,
and fresh mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Lower the heat and add the flour, stirring
every 30 seconds for about 5 minutes or until thick.
- In a soup pot heat the broth or water.
Add a cup of mushroom mixture at a time to the pot, stirring.
- Turn the heat to high, and add the reserved
mushroom water and barley. Stir well and add salt to taste.
- Simmer, covered, for about an hour or
until the barley is tender and the soup is thickened, stirring
often.
- Add additional chopped parsley, mix thoroughly,
and adjust seasonings.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings (P) or (M).
Recipe from: Jewish Cooking in America
by Joan Nathan.
