During the winter, we have soup & bread for dinner at least once a week. It’s not only economical and simplifies things in the kitchen, it’s the best belly-warming meal you can pick during the cold weather months. Soup & bread: The ultimate comfort food combo.

And is there a better combo than Barley-Mushroom Soup and Black Olive Artisan Bread? I submit that there is not. The soup is rich, filling, brimming with the deep, woodsy flavor of mushrooms. The bread? You’ll swear you picked this up at a brick oven bakery on your way home. You won’t believe something so crusty, so lovely, so fulfilling could ever come out of your humble oven. (And I should know. My “humble oven” has no working interior light and hails from somewhere near 1991.)

This bread and soup pairs so nicely together it’s be a crying shame to separate them….so I’m sharing both recipes with you. You will thank me later.

Barley-Mushroom Soup (from The Good Home Cookbook…my most favorite-est cookbook in the world, ever.)

2 T. oil
1 lb. mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
2 medium celery ribs, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth, or beef broth (or a combo of two or three)
2/3 cup pearl barley
2 T. dry sherry or Madeira wine
1/4 c. chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese to serve

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, carrots and onion and saute till onions and mushrooms are well sauteed and browned and liquid has mostly evaporated, about 15 minutes.

Add broth and barley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer partially covered until barley is tender, 45-60 minutes. Stir in sherry and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with Parmesan cheese to top. Serves 6-8. (Also freezes well.)

Black Olive Artisan Bread

3 c. bread flour
2 t. yeast
2 T. white sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 c. sliced black olives (if canned, drained)
3 T. olive oil
1-1/4 c. warm water (110 degrees)
1 T. cornmeal

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar, salt, olives, olive oil, and water. Knead till smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm spot free of drafts for 45 minutes. Knead; put back in bowl, cover, and let rise again 30 minutes.

Form into round; place into a greased bowl, cover, and let rise till doubled (45 minutes or so).

Place a shallow pan of water on bottom rack of oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Gently turn out dough onto baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 and bake 20-25 minutes more, or till sounds hollow when tapped and is nicely browned on top.