Damp Purchased Toasted Barley with Mushrooms

Damp Purchased Toasted Barley with Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1 cup pearl barley
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1/2 pound white mushrooms, wiped with a damp paper towel, trimmed, and sliced
2 cups Vegetable Stock or purchased stock
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf

Directions:
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add barley and cook, stirring
frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until barley is lightly toasted. Transfer barley to the
slow cooker.
2. Add butter and oil to the skillet. When butter melts, add shallot and mushrooms.
Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to soften.
Scrape mixture into the slow cooker.
3. Add stock, thyme, and bay leaf to the slow cooker, and stir well. Cook on Low for 4
to 6 hours or on High for 2 to 3 hours, or until barley is soft. Season to taste with salt
and pepper, and serve hot.
Note: The dish can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly
covered. Reheat it, covered, in a 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot.
Variation:
Substitute diced portobello mushrooms for the white mushrooms, and add 2
tablespoons chopped dried mushrooms to the slow cooker.
Toasting grains is an additional step for many recipes, but the results are worth it. Toasting cooks the
starch on the exterior of the grain so the dish doesn’t become gummy from too much starch when it
cooks. Although barley is best toasted dry, any species of rice can be toasted in butter or oil. With
rice, the grains just need to become opaque. They don’t even have to brown.
Bulgur with Dried Fruit and Toasted Pine
Nuts
Sweet dried fruits and vegetables flavor this cinnamon-scented grain side dish. It goes
very well with poultry and pork secondi.
Makes 4 to 6 servings | Prep time: 20 minutes | Minimum cook time: 2 hours in a
medium slow cooker