Krupnik

Krupnik has been cooked in Belarusian and Polish Jewish families for a long time. And not in a saucepan, but in a real cauldron - so that there is enough for a large family. This soup contains simple foods that are available to even the poorest family. At the same time, it perfectly saturates and warms, and therefore is especially good in winter.

Ingredients

• 5-6 dried mushrooms
• 500 g barley
• 1 large onion
• 3 stalks of celery
• 2 medium carrots
• 3-4 large potatoes
• 300 g fresh mushrooms (champignons, oyster mushrooms, forest mushrooms)
• olive oil
• 2.5-3 liters of vegetable broth or drinking water
• Bay leaf
• 4-6 peas of black and allspice
• small bunch of dill
• salt

Directions

1. Pour the dried mushrooms with 2 cups of boiling water and leave for 4 hours. Pour the pearl barley with water and leave for 4 hours.
2. Peel vegetables. Cut onion and celery into small cubes, carrots and potatoes into strips. Drain, strain and save the dried mushroom liquid. Cut fresh and soaked dry mushrooms into small pieces.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. Then add celery, potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned.
4. Rinse the pearl barley and place with vegetables, stir and pour over with vegetable broth and mushroom broth. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook for 40 minutes, until the cereal is tender. Add salt and spices and cook for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the soup sit, covered for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaf. Chop the dill finely and sprinkle over the soup before serving.