What's For Dinner?

I was born in England a country that appreciates barley, especially during summer. My mom has made sure our love of barley continued in the United States, so last night she helped me make some barley stew.


Do you cook with barley? Have a dish from the "home country" you still  cook? Let me know in the comments and check out my recipe for barley stew after the jump.



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Barley Stew

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw barley

1 bay leaf

1 large garlic clove

4 cups waters

1 cup lentils

1 teaspoon ground ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup coarsely chopped shallots

1 cup carrots, peeled, coarsely chopped

2 cups potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

1.5 teaspoons salt

Ground black pepper

2 cups of basic stock (I use vegetable, but you can use other kinds)

1 tomato, coarsely chopped

1 cup of chopped leeks

1.5 cups of minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon of dried dill weed

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

sour dough or ciabatta bread

1 large pot (4-5 Qt)

1 large saucepan (2-3 Qt)

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, bring the barley, bay leaf, garlic, and 2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer f or 15 minutes.

Add lentils, cardamom, cinnamon, and remaining 2 cups of water. Cover, and simmer until barley and lentils are soft (30-45 minutes). Stir occasionally, and add water to prevent the mixture from sticking if necessary.

Place the shallots, carrots, potatoes, leeks, salt, cayenne, and stock in saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add tomato, cover, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Add stock mixture to barley/lentil mixture. Stir in the parsley,lemon juice, and salt/pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf.

Serve hot with bread on the side.

Cooking Time: about an hour and a half.

Yield: You can easily feed 4-6 people. If you need to feed a big group this can be a great appetizer.



Note: Steps 1 and 2 can be done ahead of time. Just make sure the barley/lentils are at room temperature before you start cooking again.