Spicy Grain Soup

Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• water
• 1/2 cup short-grain brown rice
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil
• 3 ancho chilies or 3 dried mulato chiles, stemmed, seeded and broken into 2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, halved
• 2 quarts low sodium chicken broth or 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes
• 6 fresh cilantro stems, plus
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb shiitake mushroom, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1 medium zucchini, finely diced
• 1 medium parsnip, finely diced
• 1/2 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds

Recipe

• 1 in a medium saucepan, cover the barley with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
• 2 cover and simmer over low heat until tender, about 35 minutes; drain.
• 3 return the barley to the pan and cover.
• 4 meanwhile, in another medium saucepan, cover the brown rice with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
• 5 cover and simmer over low heat until tender, about 35 minutes.
• 6 drain the brown rice and add to the barley.
• 7 meanwhile, in a medium bowl, cover the bulgur with 1 cup of hot water.
• 8 cover and let stand until the water is absorbed, 10 minutes.
• 9 in a large, heavy pot, heat the olive oil.
• 10 add the chiles, onion and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• 11 add the broth, tomatoes, cilantro sprigs and allspice and season with 1 tablespoon of salt and a pinch of pepper.
• 12 bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.
• 13 let cool slightly.
• 14 puree the soup in a blender and return to the pan.
• 15 add the mushrooms, black beans, carrot, zucchini and parsnip to the pureed soup and bring to a boil.
• 16 cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
• 17 add the barley, rice and bulgur and season with salt and pepper.
• 18 ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and chopped cilantro and serve.