Healthy mushroom soup with pearl barley

Ingredients:

• 30 g dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 cup)
• 3 cups of boiling water
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 200 g of mushrooms, thinly sliced ​​(optional)
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp flour
• 0.5 tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 4 cups lightly salted vegetable or mushroom broth
• 1/4 cup sour cream, for serving
• Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
• 4 slices white bread with crust, for serving

Preparation:

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a medium bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let sit for about 15 minutes until the mushrooms swell and soften. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve; discard. Coarsely chop the porcini mushrooms and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, mushrooms, if using, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are softened and the mushrooms are golden brown, 8-10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and tomato paste to the pan and continue cooking, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the flour and thyme evenly over the vegetables and cook, stirring, until the flour dissolves, about 1 minute.
4. Add the pearl barley, broth, reserved mushroom liquid, and porcini mushrooms, 0.5 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the pearl barley is tender and the soup has thickened and reduced slightly, 30-35 minutes.
5. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vinegar and ladle the soup into four bowls. Drizzle with sour cream, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with a slice of bread for dipping.