Cookbook:Mushroom Barley Bean Soup

Ingredients

 * 10 cups (2400 ml) water
 * 1 medium onion, chopped
 * 8 oz (230 g) mushrooms, thickly sliced
 * 1 cup (240 ml) white beans
 * 1 cup (240 ml) barley
 * 1–2 carrots, chopped
 * 1–2 zucchini, chopped
 * Vegetable or chicken soup mix or stock
 * Salt
 * Pepper

Procedure

 * 1) Soak the beans for several hours and set aside.
 * 2) In a large pot (the same one you'll make the soup in), sauté onion for about 3 minutes.
 * 3) Add carrots and zucchini; sauté 5 minutes more.
 * 4) Add mushrooms, and sauté until they release all their liquid.
 * 5) Add the water, barley, beans, spices, and stock (or soup mix).
 * 6) Cook for a few hours.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * Mushrooms release a lot of liquid when cooking. You can add this liquid to the soup, as directed above, or boil it off to make more strongly flavored vegetables.
 * Cubed meat can be added to this soup.