Mushroom Barley Soup

I made this soup for my Mendel's birthday dinner party. To my surprise and honor, my father-in-law became its biggest fan. I dedicate this recipe to Zalman Roth. 

Tips:

Using generous amounts of healthy oil creates greater flavor.

Cutting veggies in to smaller/thinner pieces helps to create a larger surface area on which oil is absorbed and flavor is created. 

Using fresh herbs, when available, makes a big difference.

Mushrooms go really well with nutmeg and dill - those are the ingredients you don't want to skip.

Ingredients:

• olive oil or grape seed oil (pick one)
  
• 1 onion, finely diced
  
• 3-5 cloves of garlic minced
  
• 1 leek, sliced (discard the dark green parts)
  
• 3-5 stalks of celery finely sliced
  
• 1 carrot diced 
  
• 1 potato diced into 1/2 inch cubes
  
• 12 or 16 oz container of baby bella, shitake or just about any other fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced (feel free to mix)
  
• 1 c of barley or wild rice or brown rice (pick one)
• 1/4 ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tspn ground cumin
• 1 dash ground black pepper
• 1 dash salt
• 1 squirt Bragg's liquid aminos or soy sauce (pick one)
• 1 bunch of fresh dill or 2-3 tspns of dried dill (fresh is best)
• 8 cups of water

Cooking directions:

1. Generously coat the bottom of a soup pot with olive or grape seed oil
   
2. Saute onions, garlic, and leek in oil until translucent
   
3. Add salt, cumin, nutmeg, black pepper and stir
4. Add celery, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and barley (or rice), 1/2 of the dills, Bragg's or soy sauce; stir and cover for a few minutes
5. Add water, cover, and bring to boil
6. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30-60 minutes adjusting water if needed 
7. Add the rest of the dill before serving
8. Enjoy!