When I first heard about Ari Weinzweig's delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I couldn't believe it. A deli in the home of my alma mater. It's not really a deli but more of an international food emporium like New York's Zabar's with a definite Jewish touch. Mr. Weinzweig, a drop-out Ph.D. candidate, has taken an academic and appetizing interest in updating Jewish recipes like mushroom and barley soup, going back in history to the nineteenth-century Eastern European version similar to that served at New York's Second Avenue Deli.

　　

Ingredients

Yield: 6 to 8 servings (P) or (M)

　　2 tablespoons dried porcini mushrooms

　　2 tablespoons margarine

　　1 large onion, thinly sliced

　　2 ribs celery with leaves, diced

　　1/4 cup parsley

　　1 carrot, peeled and sliced

　　3 cloves garlic, chopped

　　1 pound fresh porcini or other mushrooms

　　1 tablespoon flour

　　2 quarts beef broth or water

　　1 cup whole barley

　　2 teaspoons salt

　　

Step 1

1. Soak the mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for a half hour. Strain through a filter. Reserve the water.

　　

Step 2

2. Coarsely chop the dried mushrooms.

　　

Step 3

3. Melt the margarine in a stockpot and sauté the onion, celery, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, carrot, garlic, and fresh mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes.

　　

Step 4

4. Lower the heat and add the flour, stirring every 30 seconds for about 5 minutes or until thick.

　　

Step 5

5. In a soup pot heat the broth or water. Add a cup of mushroom mixture at a time to the pot, stirring.

　　

Step 6

6. Turn the heat to high, and add the reserved mushroom water and barley. Stir well and add salt to taste.

　　

Step 7

7. Simmer, covered, for about an hour or until the barley is tender and the soup is thickened, stirring often.

　　

Step 8

8. Add additional chopped parsley, mix thoroughly, and adjust seasonings.

　　Reprinted with permission from Jewish Cooking in America by Joan Nathan. © 1998 Knopf