2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and then cut crosswise into ¼"-thick pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
2½ teaspoons sea salt, plus more, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large Yukon Gold potato, cut into ½" cubes
2 bay leaves
½ cup pearl barley
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
chopped fresh dill, for garnish
Instructions
In a large bowl, cover mushrooms with water. Set a medium bowl on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged; let stand until they are soft, about 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms from liquid and roughly chop; reserve soaking liquid.
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown, about 15 minutes.
Add chopped mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Strain reserved mushroom soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve; add to pot along with potato, bay leaves and barley. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Add lemon juice just before serving. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh dill.
Notes
I used a mix of chanterelle, maitake, oyster, porcini and shiitake (stems removed) mushrooms.
Recipe by Two of a Kind at http://www.twoofakindcooks.com/dried-mushroom-and-barley-soup/