Armenian-Style Mushroom-Barley Soup

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

This is a hearty European-style mushroom-barley soup, but made in the manner of many Armenian soups, with onion and dried mint as backbone flavors. For the proper flavor, be sure to use dried spearmint (the spice), not peppermint (more commonly consumed as a tea). You can substitute other mushrooms for the shiitakes if you like, though their meaty texture is nice here. Aleppo pepper can be found at Middle Eastern grocery shops or online; if unavailable, substitute 1 teaspoon sweet paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Serves 4–6

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
pinch baking soda
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps thinly sliced
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups water
7 ounces (1 cup) pearl barley
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, divided
1 teaspoon ground dried Aleppo pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, oil, mint, salt, pepper and baking soda. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened and starts to stick to the pot, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add broth, water and barley. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer; cook, partially covered, until barley is very tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Stir in 2 tablespoons cilantro and season with salt to taste. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Off heat, stir in Aleppo pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle each portion with 1 teaspoon spiced butter, sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and serve.

This recipe appeared in the Spring 2022 issue as part of a larger story on Wheaty, Warming, Savory Porridges.