Hot Dish Review

Is it time for soup yet? I think it is….

This recipe is courtesy of The Rachael Ray Show. I love the toothsome quality of barley, and paired with pancetta….well, I just had to give it a try! You can access the original recipe video that offers some variations via the link above or follow mine below:

MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1 quart low sodium chicken stock
3 cups water
1/4 C. EVOO
1/3 lb. thick cut pancetta, diced
3/4 lb. cremini mushroom caps, cleaned and sliced
1 bay leaf
2 leeks, washed, trimmed, sliced
4 cloves garlic, grated
3 tblsp. fresh sage, very thinly sliced
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
1 15 oz. can diced, fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 bunch kale, leaves thinly chopped
salt & pepper

Simmer dried porcini mushrooms in the water and stock. Meanwhile crisp the pancetta in the olive oil over medium heat, about 3 minutes. Add the cremini mushrooms and bay leaf and cook 10-12 minutes. Next, add the leeks and garlic and continue cooking 5 minutes. Add sage, rosemary and tomatoes.

Remove the softened porcini mushrooms from the stock and chop. Add them along with their cooking liquids to the soup pot taking care to leave behind any grit from the mushrooms. Stir in the barley and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the barley is tender. Add the kale, allowing it to wilt.

Makes 4 servings.

LG joined me for this impromptu hearty soup dinner, perfect for a winter evening! I served it with some toasted country sourdough from Bakeshop.

My second batch of barley has sparked new experiments as well as repeating the original ones that were so successful, like the breakfast barley with cinnamon, figs, and honey. I love barley’s toothesome quality and it keeps you full for hours!

This time I divided the one cup dry barley into five half-cup cooked servings (rather than four 3/4 cup servings), about 145 calories.

Whole foods has a curried wheatberry salad on their foodbar that I’ve always loved, so I decided to make my own version for lunch today with barley.

Here’s what I used:

1/2 cup cooked barley
1 carrot, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
1/1/2 tsp. olive oil
curry powder, to taste
cilantro
black pepper, to taste
dash of crushed red pepper

On Thursday I told my nutritionist that whenever I eat barley I pair it with vegetables or dried fruits. I automatically think of it as the main component of a meal to build around, rather than a protein.

Then on Friday, I made a total liar out of myself….I ordered grilled shrimp on a bed of greens to eat with my curried barley salad. Quite yummy! The salad was really very good, but something was missing…..

Over the weekend I was picking up some chana masala to pair with another serving of barley so I had the opportunity to look at the ingredient list on their curried wheatberry salad. Honey. That’s what was missing.

Also, my version had carrots instead of green peppers, but I did that on purpose.

Now that I’m on the barley kick, I will certainly make the curry salad again!

How long can you store cooked barley in the fridge? I was hoping a week was not too long last Saturday when I stopped by Whole Foods after the funeral to pick up some cheese and ended up perusing the food bars for accompaniments for my fourth and final serving of leftover barley.

Wanting to stick with the vegetarian theme for my lunch I decided to get some carrots and chana masala, an Indian curry made with chickpeas. I had an odd hankerin’ for the braised greens as a side dish.

When I got home I heated up my barley, seasoned it with black pepper, then topped the bowl with the warm chana masala and carrots. I garnished the concoction with golden raisins and a handful of cilantro.

Creative and delicious! The raisins added sweetness and an awesome chewy texture. I was surprised at how spicy the chana masala was, great choice. The greens, slightly bitter, paired well with the grains and sweet carrots.

The barley experiment was a total success! From the nutritious meals with my julienned veggies to the wholesome breakfast with figs and honey, everything I tried with the toothsome barley was hearty and satisfying.

Barley, batch #2 coming up. I think it is a perfect go-to staple to keep in the fridge for emergencies. Try it and let me know what you come up with!

I divided the barley I made last weekend into four equal servings for experimentation. Sandy, my holistic nutritionist, suggested I try it for breakfast instead of eating so much breakfast sausage and bacon which are both full of nitrates.

Honey, cinnamon, dried figs, golden raisins, and slivered almonds make a delicious topping for Greek yogurt so I thought it would also be great to flavor the barley. I really like the chewy texture of the grain and it was actually better than I expected with the honey and dried fruits.

Unfortunately, being the reckless carnivore that I am, I ate my bowl of barley with two links of turkey sausage. (sorry Sandy!)

I kept the bag of Bob’s Red Mill Pearl Barley from my mushroom barley soup recipe in the freezer for future experimentation. My nutritionist is vegetarian so she is a big advocate of barley, quinoa, any grain really. Combined with vegetables, fruit, and tofu, this is the basis of her diet.

So I thought I would give a vegetarian dish a try last weekend….a combination of the barley plus a veggie recipe I started making last year. A savory combo of zucchini, squash, onion, scallions, carrot, and poblano pepper, I cut the veggies julienne giving them a spaghetti-like texture and season them with black pepper, celery salt, and a dash of cayenne.

I made a batch of barley according to directions on the bag….3 cups of water to one cup of barley. It said to simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, however, after just 20 minutes or so I had to add more water, which I continued to do to prevent scorching, cooking it for a total of 45 or 50 minutes.

Then I divided it into four equal servings, the first of which I flavored with a few drops of hot sauce and a handful of cilantro. I spooned half of the veggies over the top…..tasty! I really like the toothsome quality of barley.

Remaining veggies made a satisfying lunch today with another portion of the barley. And a third portion will be a breakfast experiment!

What to do with the fourth serving?