Savory Winter Barley
Jan. 17th, 2009 09:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lwoodLast night, I came up with a vegetarian entree suitable for an Odin Party and tested it out on my favorite vegetarian, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
purplevenus and my favorite reluctant eater of veg (countgeiger) as well as two accomodating omnivores (dpaxson and myself). All approved and so, suitably multiplied, I'll be making it again next Saturday.
To give proper credit,auntiematter had the idea of using a risotto technique on barley, zoe_me burbled happily about hulled barley as opposed to pearled, and yes, Alton did an episode on barley(YouTube part one and part two, and here's the obligatory fansite page) but I haven't seen it lately.
For a wholly vegan preparation, use another fat instead of butter. You'll be missing out on browned butter, alas, but that's your call. Toasting the grains in butter before cooking ("risotto method") reduces cooking time, broadens flavor, and adds a creamy texture; otherwise you'll be simmering forever.
Savory Winter Barley
Serves 4 as a side dish, two as an entrée
2 T butter
1 c (1/2 lb) hulled barley*
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
?? cloves of garlic, pressed
1 qt vegetable broth
1/2 oz mixed dried mushrooms
1/2 c roasted hazelnuts, lightly chopped
fresh thyme
Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and soak the mushrooms in it to rehydrate. While the mushrooms soak, melt the butter in a small (4-5 qt) Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter stops bubbling and begins to brown, add the barley and stir constantly for 2-5 minutes, or until the barley is toasted and smelling nutty. Remove the barley from the pot, add the oil, and, once the oil is hot, add the onions. Sweat the onions 5-7 minutes or until translucent. While the onions are sweating, remove the mushrooms from the broth and chop coarsely. Once the onions are cooked, add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until aromatic.
Return the barley to the pot and add the broth, stirring to deglaze anything that got stuck. Turn the heat to high, bring the mixture to a boil, then drop heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until barley is cooked through and mixture is at desired consistency, 45-60 minutes, adding thyme five minutes before the end.
Serve warm, sprinkled with the chopped hazelnuts.
* - The barley one usually finds in the store is pearled barley, which is to hulled barley as white rice is to brown rice--pearled is less nutritious and interesting, hulled (also called "dehulled") takes much longer to cook. Check upscale grocery stores for this, or order online.
purplevenus and my favorite reluctant eater of veg (countgeiger) as well as two accomodating omnivores (dpaxson and myself). All approved and so, suitably multiplied, I'll be making it again next Saturday.To give proper credit,
auntiematter had the idea of using a risotto technique on barley, zoe_me burbled happily about hulled barley as opposed to pearled, and yes, Alton did an episode on barley(YouTube part one and part two, and here's the obligatory fansite page) but I haven't seen it lately.For a wholly vegan preparation, use another fat instead of butter. You'll be missing out on browned butter, alas, but that's your call. Toasting the grains in butter before cooking ("risotto method") reduces cooking time, broadens flavor, and adds a creamy texture; otherwise you'll be simmering forever.
Savory Winter Barley
Serves 4 as a side dish, two as an entrée
2 T butter
1 c (1/2 lb) hulled barley*
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
?? cloves of garlic, pressed
1 qt vegetable broth
1/2 oz mixed dried mushrooms
1/2 c roasted hazelnuts, lightly chopped
fresh thyme
Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and soak the mushrooms in it to rehydrate. While the mushrooms soak, melt the butter in a small (4-5 qt) Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter stops bubbling and begins to brown, add the barley and stir constantly for 2-5 minutes, or until the barley is toasted and smelling nutty. Remove the barley from the pot, add the oil, and, once the oil is hot, add the onions. Sweat the onions 5-7 minutes or until translucent. While the onions are sweating, remove the mushrooms from the broth and chop coarsely. Once the onions are cooked, add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until aromatic.
Return the barley to the pot and add the broth, stirring to deglaze anything that got stuck. Turn the heat to high, bring the mixture to a boil, then drop heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until barley is cooked through and mixture is at desired consistency, 45-60 minutes, adding thyme five minutes before the end.
Serve warm, sprinkled with the chopped hazelnuts.
* - The barley one usually finds in the store is pearled barley, which is to hulled barley as white rice is to brown rice--pearled is less nutritious and interesting, hulled (also called "dehulled") takes much longer to cook. Check upscale grocery stores for this, or order online.
