Friday, November 30, 2012

Mushroom Barley Soup - NaBloPoMo Finale!

My dinner menu this evening was decided by a fictional detective from the 1930s. I was reading Birds Of A Feather by Jacqueline Winspear- the second book from the Maisie Dobbs series- when I came upon this description of the meal served to Maisie Dobbs at an abbey.

"Upon her return, her shoes clattering on the flagstone floors, a fresh tray awaited her, bearing a hearty bowl of barley-and-vegetable soup, a flask of cider with an upturned glass on top, and three slices of still-warm, crusty brown bread."

Barley-and-vegetable soup it is. I ended up making a mushroom barley soup that reminded me very much of a soup that I've eaten dozens of times in cafeterias and delis in NYC. Now why barley does not have a more prominent place in my pantry, I don't know. Time to rectify that. The only reason I even had half a box of barley in my kitchen today was because it was a pantry inheritance from Neighbor Girl. Anyway, the chewy, hearty barley made this soup a meal in itself.

Here's how I made the soup. I'm afraid I don't have a picture- I did not access to my camera this evening.

Mushroom Barley Soup

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil.
2. Saute 1 small onion, minced and 3 cloves of garlic until lightly browned and fragrant.
3. Saute 3 cups sliced mushrooms and 1 chopped canned tomato.
4. Add vegetable stock and 3/4 cup barley (I used pearled barley). Simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Garnish with lots of minced parsley.

And that's how we come to the end of this month-long blogging marathon, folks.

NaBloPoMo was much harder than I expected. I did end up missing one day and posting late on another. To make the time to write a new blog post every single day, to come up with something to say on top of that- it was not easy. But I got a tiny glimpse of the discipline and dedication that is needed to write consistently. I also learned that I enjoy thinking and writing about all sorts of different things and not just food. Now that NaBloPoMo is over, I'll continue to blog regularly. Not daily, I assure you. But One Hot Stove will stay active and bring you whatever is cooking in my life- food, of course, but also books and crafts and whatever else life teaches me.

Thank you for reading along- I couldn't have done it without you!


30 comments:

  1. Well done Nupur! November was so much nicer because of your blog posts.
    PS. grey mask by Patricia Wentworth is sooooooo good. And the best thing- 31 more books in the series :-)))))))

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    1. So glad you're enjoying Wentworth! You know, for some strange reason, her books are out of print. My local library system has only one (!) Wentworth mystery and it is a large print book. I'll have to look for them elsewhere.

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    2. I know! You can only find them as e books. That's why I may have bought quite a few on the cyber Monday amazon sale ( $2 each is my excuse). I wish I could share them. A friend of mine found some at second hand book stores.

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  2. just back from thanksgiving vacation and read all the unread posts in one go. :D you should take part in nablopomo for dec and then the following months too.. ok, lets take one month at a time :D

    just kidding, i admire how you made time for this commitment, amidst the hustle bustle of moving and a baby all that! RESPECT!! Couple of the recent posts have sent me thinking.. let me see where I end up in that thought process.

    thanks Nupur, for all the great posts this month! You should post pictures of your new home (whatever you can share.. I thought you said you are buying a home.)

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    1. Thank you :) I wouldn't sign up for the Dec NaBloPoMo even if you held a gun to my head ;) but maybe by next Nov I'll have forgotten how painful this was at times. Let's see.

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  3. Congrats Nupur! It has been a wonderful month for your readers and I am sure we all would like to see you repeat this feat sometime in the future :)

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    1. LOL maybe next year if I forget all the pain and only remember the fun! Meanwhile thanks so much for reading along so regularly.

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  4. Good job on completing the blogging marathon Nupur. I have liked reading your post everyday. You write very well and being a mom to a toddler and juggling a full time job I can relate to what you have going on. My best wishes to you and your family. Do keep writing.

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    1. My job starts only next month so that was one thing I did not have to juggle this month. Not that caring for a toddler is anything less than a 24/7 job! I'll keep writing if you'll keep reading ;)

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  5. Soup sounds great! Have also earmarked Maise Dobbs in my reading queue.
    I enjoyed reading your post everyday!!

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    1. I think you'll enjoy reading Maisie Dobbs- the second book was even better than the first.

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  6. I'm sure the barley goes really well with the mushrooms. It's a great way to make a soup a bit more hearty.

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    1. It makes the soup so hearty that this is a nice one dish meal.

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  7. It's a coincidence that a recent post on zenhabits was also on writing. I first decided to pass on that because I thought it was irrelevant for me. But, after reading your recent posts, I changed my mind.

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    1. Yes! I saw that post on how to focus on writing on Zen Habits, and there was a writing related post on the Happiness Project too. A nice coincidence! I think writing is relevant to all of us who aspire to think and grow as individuals.

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  8. Thank you so much for your posts Nupur! Getting a new post from you every day has definitely brightened up the days over the last month. I hope you have a wonderful, cozy, festive holiday season!

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    1. Thank you for the sweet wishes! The month was super fun and jam packed for me too.

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  9. Bravo, Nupur! You did it! :)

    Also thanks for writing the post about you time management. I was one of the many who requested. :)

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  10. Well done Nupur! I'm going to miss reading a new post first thing in the morning, but will stay tuned nevertheless for the latest and greatest on OHS :D

    Love,
    Shoots :)

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    1. I hope you'll get to see a new post at least once or twice every week. Hugs to you!!

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  11. I have been a quiet admirer of your blog.Love your writing,recipes and your attitude towards life in general.And your taste in books match mine!Thanks for everything.Wishing you the best...

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    1. Thank you Poornima- it is a joy to have people like you who want to read this blog.

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  12. Its been fantastic reading your posts thru the month. Congratulations ! Not an easy job at all, with a baby and the new home. Great work Nupur ! Would love to see more posts coming our way...

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    1. No, I have to say it wasn't easy and I almost quit once or twice :) but was a very fun challenge all the same.

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  13. I was so excited when you took up NaBloPoMo, just cos I could read your words everyday. I followed your writing everyday as part of my routine. I am sad it ended but happy that you will continue posting. Your writing is so therapeutic Nupur. You are truly a wordsmith! I am pretty sure that a tiny part of why your husband fell for you was your beautiful skill in writing among other things like vivacious personality, love for food, arts/crafts, reading and an overall sweet person to be with. Lucky him. I wish I could be your friend. Having a friend like you around is like having your vitamin pill! I can see you smile now -- keep flashing that shy smile and win more hearts dear Nupur. Warm regards, Annapoorna PS: I know how you look, ofcourse I googled you! I am pretty sure everyone who comments here did too :)

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    1. I'm very glad this blog brings you joy, Annapoorna. I feel truly lucky to be able to do that. Thanks for reading!

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  14. where's the love button when you need it? I always enjoy your posts Nupur, but getting a daily dose of your words of wisdom has been a special treat. Now time for a much-deserved break for you, but hurry back :)

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    1. There's not much wisdom here, I'm afraid :D but thanks for being there to read everything that got hurriedly posted here all month!

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  15. I had SOOOOOOOOOOOO much fun reading your posts all November! I am sure it was very difficult, I am so proud of you for doing it! I really consider it as your huge huge giveaway to all of us readers, it was an awesome treat to read a new post every morning. Your posts always touch a cord and seeing a new post here makes me so happy! I am going to miss your posts so much, you really spoilt me silly in November. :) now what am I going to do?

    Hugs,
    Priti

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