Easter Ham Soup with Wild Mushrooms

Steps

• 1
  Dice the leftover ham.
• 2
  When cooking ham, it's important not to boil it vigorously, but rather to simmer it gently. It's worth flavoring the water with onion, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, etc., so your cooking liquid will almost be a ready-made soup. You just need to thicken and enrich it.
• 3
  Sauté the finely chopped onion and garlic in a spoonful of fat skimmed from the cooking liquid.
• 4
  Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until all their released liquid has evaporated.
• 5
  Then add the pearl barley, followed by the ham cooking liquid. While the pearl barley softens, mix the cream, sour cream, and 1 tablespoon of flour until smooth.
• 6
  Once the pearl barley is soft, add the thickening mixture, then the diced ham, and season with herbs and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste if needed.
• 7
  Serve with fresh bread or challah.
• 8
  If the liquid is too salty, dilute it with water or unsalted broth! Instead of mushrooms, you can use any vegetables, and instead of pearl barley, you can even use spaetzle.