My pantry revealed wheatberries, wild rice, polenta and pearl barley. Wheatberries have to soak for hours before they can be cooked, something I was not prepared to wait around for, rice, well see above, and even a hearty portion of polenta would not require anywhere near 4 cups of stock. Pearl Barley was the clear choice.
Not taking into consideration what I would do with the cooked barley, I dumped 2 cups of it into a large pot with the 4 cups of broth and let it rip. Approximately 45 minutes later I had well over 4 cups of cooked pearl barley. This nutty little grain is delicious, but can be very discriminating when paired with other ingredients. Hmmm.
Well, here is what I came up with:
Well, here is what I came up with:
Arugula Barley Salad
1 bunch of arugula
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
1/4 cup salted cashew pieces
1 cup cooked pearl barley, warmed
Pomegranate dressing (my recipe here)
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss lightly. Serve immediately.
Mediterranean Barley
2 cups pearl barley, cooked
1-2 small carrots, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped nuts (any variety you like)
Combine the barley and carrots in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. Pour into the barley mixture and add the olives and nuts. Stir well to combine. This can be served warm or cold.
This ended up being very hearty and nutty, but definitely could use a fresh herb like flat leaf parsley or cilantro!
Barley Baked Beans
2 cups pearl barley, cooked
2 cans (15 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup molasses
2 tsp wocestershire sauce
3 T ketchup
2 T dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 300 deg F. Pour cooked barley into large bowl and combine with remaining ingredients. Pour into 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Bake for 1 hour, covered, stirring occasionally.
Raise temperature to 350 deg F and bake an additional 30 minutes until beans are thick and bubbling.
These were hearty and delicious! You can alter the sweet versus tangy by altering the amount of brown sugar and/or dijon mustard. Crumbled bacon would have been an excellent garnish for these.
Mediterranean Barley
2 cups pearl barley, cooked
1-2 small carrots, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped nuts (any variety you like)
Combine the barley and carrots in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. Pour into the barley mixture and add the olives and nuts. Stir well to combine. This can be served warm or cold.
This ended up being very hearty and nutty, but definitely could use a fresh herb like flat leaf parsley or cilantro!
Barley Baked Beans
2 cups pearl barley, cooked
2 cans (15 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup molasses
2 tsp wocestershire sauce
3 T ketchup
2 T dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 300 deg F. Pour cooked barley into large bowl and combine with remaining ingredients. Pour into 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Bake for 1 hour, covered, stirring occasionally.
Raise temperature to 350 deg F and bake an additional 30 minutes until beans are thick and bubbling.
These were hearty and delicious! You can alter the sweet versus tangy by altering the amount of brown sugar and/or dijon mustard. Crumbled bacon would have been an excellent garnish for these.
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