Mushroom Barley Soup (for MSC)

2          tablespoons unsalted butter
1          medium leek, white and light green parts only, washed and dried well, finely                          chopped
1          medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
3          medium carrots (reduce to 2 carrots for MSC-400 Model), peeled and finely                          chopped
4          garlic cloves, finely chopped
24        ounces mushrooms (a mix of button, cremini, and all wild varieties works nicely), sliced (reduce to 1 pound/16 ounces for MSC-400 model)
2          teaspoons kosher salt
1          teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (stems discarded)
1          bay leaf
½         cup (reduce to ⅓ cup for MSC-400 model) sherry
1          cup (reduce to ½ cup for MSC-400 model) pearl barley
10        cups (reduce to 6 cups for MSC-400 model) vegetable stock
¾         teaspoon (reduce to ½ teaspoon for MSC-400 model) freshly ground black pepper
1          tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1          teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Nutritional information per serving (1 cup):Calories 126 (15% from fat) • carb. 22g • pro. 4g
• fat 2g • sat. fat 1g • chol. 5mg • sod. 767mg• calc. 32mg • fiber 4g

1. Put the butter into the cooking pot of the Multicooker set to Brown/Sauté at 375°F. Once melted, stir in the chopped leek, onion and carrots. Sauté until vegetables are soft and fragrant, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, mushrooms, salt, thyme and bay leaf. Cook until mushrooms release most of their moisture and have cooked down considerably, up to 10 minutes. Add sherry to the pot and cook until almost completely reduced.

2. Add the barley, broth and pepper. Cover and switch the unit to Slow Cook on High for 3½ hours.

3. Once unit switches to Keep Warm and right before serving, stir in fresh parsley and lemon juice.

4. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.