Mushroom Barley Soup

Here's the recipe for my FB Post on mushroom barley soup:Mushroom Barley Soup, adapted from “Jewish Cooking in America” by Joan Nathan2Tbs dried mushrooms (I use mixture of shitake, maitake, and sometimes reishi for its healing properties), soaked in hot water for ½ hour3 TBS butter1 large onion diced2 celery ribs diced2 carrots peed and sliced½ cup fresh parsley3 cloves garlic chopped1 pound fresh mushrooms (I mix shitake with crimini)1 TBS Flour2 quarts broth or water (I use vegetable broth but chicken or beef stock is fine too)1 cup whole barleySalt and pepper to tasteStrain mushroom, retain brothChop mushroomsMelt butter in stockpotAdd onion, celery, ½ parsley, carrot, garlic and fresh mushrooms. Saute until softLower heat, add flour for a few minutes, making sure to stir so it doesn’t stickAdd broth or water, turn heat upAdd reserved barley, dried mushrooms and mushroom waterSimmer covered for about an hour or until barley is reasonably tenderAdd additional parsley, mix, and serve!Serves 6 - 8