I just made a big pot of Beef Barley soup this past weekend. Yum!! I also read somewhere that you can make a Risotto type dish with Pearled Barley. I would never have thrown those grains away, we eat them all the time.

Steve

Hands down, mushroom barley soup. That's why I keep barley on hand. It's OK in pilafs and I also have a new soup I like--Turkish barley buttermilk soup, but I only make that when I have buttermilk to use up. It might be passable in Avlogmeno soup, but I don't know for sure.

Now what do I do with these buckwheat groats?! I am going to make kasha varnishkes with them, even though I don't like kasha varnishkes. But that's because I don't like buckwheat groats, lol! Never again!

I did manage to throw out one thing this weekend, without even trying to figure out how I could doctor/save it. That was the FIBER style Wasa crackers. Talk about CARDBOARD!

Alexa, I love barley in soups and as a side dish too. Here's a different way to make it.

BARLEY RISOTTO WITH ROASTED ASPARAGUS

1 pound asparagus, tough ends removed
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
4 shallots, sliced
1-1/4 cups pearl barley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (I usually use a tsp. of dried marjoram instead)
5 cups prepared fat-free chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup shredded Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped
Garnish: Finely chopped red bell pepper, fresh thyme sprigs and lemon slices, optional

Place asparagus on cookie sheet and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon oil, rolling spears to coat. Roast in 400ú F oven for 8 minutes; set aside. In medium heavy pan, heat remaining 3 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots, barley and thyme; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add broth, 3/4 cup at a time, cooking and stirring until just absorbed. Continue adding all broth. Add wine, stirring and cooking until absorbed (process will take about 25 minutes). Stir in cheese and walnuts. Divide asparagus among 4 plates. Top with barley risotto and garnish as desired. Makes 4 servings.

Lpink, this is a quickie way to make kasha and noodles.

MICROWAVE KASHA AND NOODLES

3 ounces bow-tie pasta
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 cup whole kernel kasha
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbs. butter
15 fresh mushrooms, trimmed, and sliced
2 Tbs. minced onion
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook until just tender, then drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Set aside. Cook the oil, uncovered, in a 2 quart microwave-safe casserole at full power for 1 minute. Stir in the kasha, and cook until toasted and fragrant, 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and quickly add the beaten egg, stirring until it is almost cooked and the kernels are coated (this will take only a few seconds). Return the casserole to the oven and cook 20 seconds. Stir to separate the kernels, breaking up any clumps with a fork. Stir in broth and cook, uncovered, until liquid has been absorbed and the kernels are cooked through, about 6 ý minutes. Break up any clumps with a fork. Set aside. Cook the butter in a microwave-safe pie plate for 1 minute. Then stir in the mushrooms and chopped onion, and cook 3 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the green onions and pepper. Stir the mushroom mixture and the reserved pasta into the kasha. Return the casserole to the oven, and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. (Note: for extra flavor, noodles can be cooked in chicken broth.)

4 servings

adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins

This is a favorite recipe of mine - I just love it! I also have a favorite mushroom barley soup but you probably don't need the recipe.

Roselin's Nutty Barley Bake

1 med. onion, chopped
1c med. pearl barley
1/2c slivered almonds
1/4c butter
1/2c minced fresh parsley
1/4c thinly sliced green onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups beef or chicken stock or broth

In a skillet over med heat, saute onion, barley, and nuts in butter til barley is lightly browned. Stir in parsley, green onion, salt and pepper. Transfer to a greased 2qt baking dish. Stir in broth/stock. Bake uncovered at 350ð for 1 hr and 15 minutes til barley is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Yields: 4-6 servings

Cook it up and stir some into some bread you are making....add a little brown sugar and....it'll be good...

Because it is good for you!

I made beef, barley and vegetable soup this past Friday. It was so good (even if I did resort to chicken broth instead of beef broth). I didn't really use a recipe, just winged it, guess that is why I ended up with very thick soup. But it is soooo good!

I diced up some beef and browned it with some onion in the pressure cooker, then cooked it in the PC for 12 minutes with added broth/water, then added diced potato, diced carrot, barley, some frozen peas, can of tomatoes, 2 TB dried soup vegetables, s&p, dash of Worcestershire sauce and cooked it (not under pressure) until all was done. Yummy!

Wow! Awesome ideas everyone! I am going to run them past the family and let them decide which I make first. Based on how good they all sound, I will be including Pearled Barley much more often in my meal planning.

A

Another vote for mushroom barley soup. Soak the barley in water or stock for 3 hours before using. It expands, though not as much as rice, so beware adding too much lest your soup turns into a stew. The cooked barley has a rice-like texture, to me anyway, so can be a psychic substitute for the forbidden rice (why is it forbidden, anyway?)

If you have a couple of hours to kill, I found some recipes for barley risotto which also seem interesting. Just google it.

Sorry, I wrote the reply then hit submit an hour later, in the meantime better replies came in. Ignore me.

Here's another one that uses both barley and kasha. This is one of my favorite sisde dishes for roasted duck or pheasant.

THREE-GRAIN PILAF

1/2 cup whole barley
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp. butter
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms , sliced
3/4 tsp. lemon juice
1 large egg
3/4 cup kasha (toasted buckwheat groats)
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
3/4 cup long-grain white rice
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 cups beef broth or stock
1/4 chopped fresh parsley
Salt & pepper

Put the barley in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Let soak for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over moderately high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until browned. If the pan seems too dry, add a Tbs. of water to encourage the cooking. The mushrooms will be dry at first but then release their juices. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice; reserve.

In a small bowl, stir the egg with a fork. Stir in the kasha until coated and then dump into the pan you just used. Stir constantly over moderately high heat until dry and lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn out onto a plate and reserve.

Spoon the vegetable oil into the same pan and stir in the white rice. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring, to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer. Add the drained barley, kasha and mushrooms to the pan. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring, over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and simmer, stirring gently once or twice, until the grains are tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot. Makes 10 servings of slightly under 1 cup each.

Note: Vegetable broth can be substituted for the beef broth. If serving with duck, good to add a bit of grated orange rind.

He he, I have no idea what to do with pearled barley. Mine got trashed after I decided I hated the taste. I wasn't going to waste a whole pot of ingredients on something I didn't like.
Sorta like collards, another iconic food I do not like because of the taste. No caramelized onion or aioli will ever help it for me.

I was looking at this web site for some new ideas to use pearled and hulled barley in just the other day, and perhaps there's something there to help you out.

I ended up milling whole barley into flour and making the Barley Orange Pancakes, and flaked some another day and made Hot Barley Flakes (cooked cereal).

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Barley Foods - Recipes

I dunno, but I wanted to say, I read it as Pearl Bailey. Man, I'm getting old. I really wanted to know what you were doing with Pearl Bailey.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pearl doing her thang

This is my family's favorite from Cooks Illustrated

Slow-Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

1 boneless beef chuck roast (3-pound), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Table salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped medium
2 carrots, peeled and chopped medium
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

1. Dry the beef with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of the beef, about 10 minutes, then add to the slow cooker. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and repeat with 2 more teaspoons oil and the remaining beef.

2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the empty skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, carrots, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half, about 1 minute, then pour into the slow cooker.

3. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the broths, thyme, and barley to the slow cooker. Cover and cook, on either low or high, until the beef is tender, 6 to 7 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high. Before serving, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Make Ahead

The night before (or a day in advance), prepare the recipe through step 2. Instead of adding the ingredients to the slow cooker, refrigerate them, but be sure to store the browned meat in one container and the vegetables and wine in another container. In the morning, add the chilled ingredients to the slow cooker, then add the tomatoes with their juice, the broths, thyme, and barley to the slow cooker. Proceed with step 3. The cooking time will run to the high end of the range given in the recipe.

Since I had some of the Chicken Tikka Masala left over from last night, I decided this would be a good use for the leftovers AND the barley! Thanks everyone! It was great with Mango Chutney and a salad.

Curried Turkey and Barley Casserole

1 cup pearl barley
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 pound fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups cooked and cubed turkey
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons dry white wine or dry sherry
Salt and pepper, to taste

In medium saucepan with lid, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add pearl barley and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Melt butter in skillet. Add curry powder, mushrooms and onion. Saute until onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add mushroom mixture to cooked barley. Mix in turkey, almonds, sour cream and white wine. Season with salt and pepper and turn mixture into oiled 2-quart casserole or baking dish. Cover and bake 45 minutes in 350ð F oven. Remove cover and bake 5 minutes longer. Makes 4 servings.

I was thinking of suggesting you hold out until after T-giving. Perfect pairing, next to beef.

I make beef barley/mushroom stew also. I use whole foods recipe as a launching point.

I didn't know you had to soak it first. I always just add it at the end and wait a bit before serving. A word of caution: add less barley than you think you should. In the case of the following recipe, 1/3 cup goes a l-o-n-g way.

Here is a link that might be useful: beef barley stew

Our family would probably win the prize for most unusual barley pairing. We make barley cooked in chicken heart broth with asparagus, lean bacon, yellow peppers, onions, and the hearts mixed into it like a pilaf.

I had cooked a lot of barley and was looking for a way to use it up. I made it into vegetarian "burger" patties using the recipe I posted here on another thread. They tasted remarkably like meat. DH loved them!

Beef, barley, mushroom soup. Love it! It will be come a regular item at your house!

One the dishes I have made using Pearled Barley was called "Saturday Night Fish Fry".

dcarch

This thread is a winner!

Barley can also give a little heftiness to lentil soup.

They all look good! I should have mentioned that I got the recipe I made from the link that Grainlady shared. Some really terrific ideas and since the family liked the casserole, I can see barley being used in all sorts of ways in the future.

Thanks again!

A

Because I like barley in beef veg soup I started using it in my chicken soup in place of a noodle or rice.