Barley with Dried Mushrooms - EASTERN EUROPE

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Barley with Dried Mushrooms - EASTERN EUROPE

1 ounce dried porcini

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter or extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups pearl barley

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 1/2 cups stock, preferably homemade, or water

Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

 

 

 

 

 

1. Put the porcini in a bowl and cover with hot water. Put 2

tablespoons of the butter or oil in a medium saucepan over medium

heat; a minute later, add the barley along with some salt and pepper

and cook, stirring occasionally, until the barley is coated, just a

minute or two. Add the stock (you can substitute ½ cup porcini soaking

liquid for part of the stock if you like), cover, and adjust the heat

so the mixture simmers. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the barley

is tender and the liquid absorbed.

 

2. When the mushrooms are tender, drain them. Trim them of any hard

parts and, if necessary, slice them (usually they're already in quite

small pieces so this won’t be necessary). Put the remaining butter or

oil in a small skillet over medium heat and toss the porcini in this

briefly, sprinkling them with a little salt and pepper.

 

3. When the barley is done, top it with the sautéed porcini, being

sure to get all the mushroom juices (and butter or oil) out of the

skillet. Garnish and serve hot.

 

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME 30 MINUTES

 

Source: The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman, published by

Broadway Books. 2005 by Double B Publishing, Inc

Formatted by Chupa Babi in MC: 01.11.07

 

 

Plain barley, cooked any way you would rice, is fine stuff (make sure

you buy pearl barley; the whole-grain variety takes forever to cook).

But barley with some butter and dried mushrooms is just a fantastic

midwinter side dish.

 

Porcini mushrooms are best bought in large quantities; a pound might

cost $40 or $50 but will last for years, whereas ½ ounce might cost $4

($128 per pound) and last you a day.

 

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