Serves: 4
Total Calories: 149

1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leeks including light green parts, thoroughly rinsed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or marjoram
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
6 cups Vegetable Stock or broth (see NOTE)
3 large carrots, trimmed, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1/2 cup hot water
3 to 4 tablespoons , sweet white miso
salt to taste
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

1. Break off the shiitake stems, or pry them out with a sharp paring knife. Discard the stems or reserve them for stock. Break or chop the shiitake caps into tiny bits. Quickly rinse and drain. Set aside.

2. In a large, heavy soup pot, heat the oil over high heat. Sauté the leeks and garlic for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the thyme and wine and continue cooking over high heat until about half of the wine evaporates.

3. Add the vegetable stock, shiitakes, carrots, and barley, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook at a gentle boil until the barley is tender, 30 to 45 minutes.

4. Pour the hot water into a large glass measuring cup and dissolve 3 tablespoons of the miso in it by mashing the paste against the sides of the cup and stirring vigorously with a whisk or fork. Turn off the heat and stir the miso broth into the soup. Taste and add additional miso as needed for flavor, first dissolving the miso in a small amount of the soup’s broth. Add salt, if needed.

5. Serve hot, garnished with the parsley.

NOTE: Make vegetable stock from scratch or try a high-quality instant vegetable stock powder, such as Frontier brand (800-669-3275), available in many natural-food stores.

TO MAKE AHEAD: This soup is best eaten immediately after it is made, but you can prepare it through Step 3, let cool completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 day. This soup does not freeze well.

TO REHEAT: Bring to a simmer over low heat and proceed from Step 4.

From From Our House To Yours. Compilation copyright © 2002 by Chronicle Books LLC. Foreword copyright © 2002 by Joyce Goldstein. Photographs copyright © 2002 by E.J. Armstrong. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 149
Calories from Fat: 30

More Recipes from the From Our House to Yours Cookbook:
*Simple Soups
Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
Beef And Barley Soup With Mushrooms
Chicken Soup For The Soul
Chicken Soup With Matzo Balls
Cream Of Leek And Potato Soup
Creamy Corn Soup
Curried Pumpkin Soup
Double Split Pea Soup
Minestrone Romano "A Crudo"
Old-Fashioned Vegetable-Rice Soup
Shiitake, Miso, And Barley Soup
Thai Chicken-Coconut Soup With Galanga
White Bean Soup With Winter Greens