Carrot Mushroom Barley Stew

I made this really great stew  from a recipe I found in my Food Network Cookbook. It was probably one of the best soups/stews I've ever made - I couldn't believe it. It had no meat but it was fantastic! If you have an avid meat lover in your household, try adding sweet Italian sausage, hot breakfast sausage or grilled chicken thighs, chopped up. I did have a bit of a hard time finding carrot juice but stumbled upon it in the produce section where the OJ was - man was it pricey! So I ended up buying a small bottle which was just the right amount that I needed for this recipe. Instead of adding 3 cups of water I added chicken stock but you could also use vegetable stock too. I'd say if you can't find the carrot juice or don't want to spend the $$$, I would definitely try this recipe with some spicy hot V8 juice too. That was my plan until I actually found the carrot juice. I was really excited to share this recipe because it was that good! Next time I make it, I will be doubling to freeze for those nights when you just don't feel like cooking.

Carrot Mushroom Barley Stew

serves 4

ingredients

• 2 cups carrot juice

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 10 oz baby bella shrooms, stems removed & reserved, caps sliced

• 2 Tbsp EVOO

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 cup quick cooking barley

• 1 large white onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 stalks celery with leave, finely diced

• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled (I used molcajete to crush the rosemary)

• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2" pieces

• 4 1/2 cups kale, stems removed and chopped

• 1 Tbsp grated, peeled ginger

• 1/2 Tbsp garlic pepper

directions

1. Bring the carrot juice, 3 cups chicken broth and shroom stems to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. In a dutch oven, heat EVOO and 2 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Add the shroom caps and barley and cook until the barley is toasted, about 5-6 minutes. 

2. Add the garlic, onion, celery and rosemary to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

3. Increase the heat to high and half of the carrot juice mixture, leaving the shroom stems in the pan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is almost absorbed, about 5-6 minutes. 

4. Using a strainer over the dutch oven to catch the shroom stems, add the remaining carrot juice mixture, the kale and ginger and cook, stirring, until the barley and veggies are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp butter, then serve.

You can serve this with some crusty bread or croissants for dredging. It's a hearty soup with lots of flavor. I did add some ingredients to the recipe to adapt to our tastes, etc. For me, the soup was hearty enough from the mushrooms not to miss any meat and perfect for fall. I love this time of year!!!

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Food Network's Great Easy Meals.