While I was shopping the other day I saw barley on sale, said ‘yes!,’ but wanted to get a little creative and go beyond ‘soup’. As I have been adopting more of a vegetarian based diet, mushrooms have been playing a larger part in my cooking as wonderful ‘meat substitutes.’ Add the two together, with copious quantities of cheese (yes, why I don’t think I will ever be able to fully adopt a vegan diet) and you have a warm, satisfying bowl of creamy, cheesy, comfort. I will apologize ahead of time for the recipe…I am writing this how I cook, which is very free and unmeasured…and am providing this as an inspiration to those fellow food lovers who often feel stuck in ‘food ruts.’ I added more notes at the bottom to expand on different methods and ‘situations’ I encountered along the way, with links to professionals for additional information. As always…Experiment and Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 2 pounds mushrooms (various: I used baby bell and shitake)
- 1 package dried mushrooms (whatever is available/affordable)
- 2 bags of a mushroom tea
- 2-4 shallots (pending size)
- 2-4 T butter (grass fed preferable…I like to envision the butter eating grass)
- 2-3 cups vegetable stock (best you can whether can, box, jar, or homemade), plus soaking liquid from dried mushrooms and tea
- 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese, “soft” (yeah, well, probably more than that really)
- Aged Gouda for finishing, “hard”
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half, or plain yogurt)
Method (or the Madness):
Prep: I always try to prep ahead so I don’t get bogged down/frustrated when I go to cook. I started by steeping the dried mushrooms and mushroom tea in 1 cup of hot water (for a professional take on this process try this site https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-work-with-dried-mushrooms-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-196980 and probably do the tea separately, I wasn’t picky here). I let everything sit for about an hour then drained off and saved the liquid. Chop all the mushrooms into ‘cubes’ (like I was imitating small pieces of beef), and chop the shallots into a ‘small dice.’ Once the dried mushrooms were done steeping I chopped them quite fine (actually I didn’t and regretted it because they were kind of eel-like so I’m trying to save you this frustration).
Hit the stove:
- In a heavy bottomed skillet (I always try to pick a pan larger than I think I’ll need, so 5-7 qt.) on medium heat melt butter then sauté shallots and fresh mushrooms (you could do it in batches but I’m a dump and run girl) until they get that nice brown color and your whole house smells amazing.
- Add more butter as needed and toss in barley (watch as you go to make sure the ratio of mushroom to barley looks ‘right’ remembering that the barley will swell some as it cooks) and sauté for another 5-10 minutes.
- Add chopped reconstituted mushrooms, stir, then start adding liquids, starting with the mushroom liquid and tea, then the stock, aiming for 3 cups to start (assuming 1 cup of barley was used). I used this time as therapy so I slowly stirred the pot while adding liquid over 10-15 minutes, like you would for risotto: If you are already well-adjusted simply add the 3 cups of liquid all at once, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and cover. Periodically check and stir the barley to determine if more liquid is needed (i.e. more stock).
- Cooking time should range from 25 minutes for pearled barley to 40 minutes for hulled (for more information on properly cooking barley visit https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-barley-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-198693.) One thing I have learned about cooking grains is that they ‘need’ the extra liquid to cook properly and if I get stuck with a little too much liquid I simmer the grains without the lid to ‘steam it off’ (again…not a professional!). Also, I generally find cooking times are significantly longer than on the package/recommended, so I planned an hour of cook time just to be safe.
Finishing: Once you have tested the barley and it is cooked, check for salt and add if needed. Then, with heat on low, slowly stir in heavy cream followed by shredded cheese. After everything is all melted and happy, serve in a bowl with more grated hard gouda on top.
Additional Notes/Suggestions:
- For me, this is a main course, and I don’t really need anything else to round the meal out. However, this dish could also serve as a great side for some roasted/seared meat such as a chicken breast, pork chop, fish, or shrimp with a small raw vegetable salad for balance.
- Gouda is one of my favorite cheeses so it was my ‘go-to’ but the best meals are the ones that include the foods you love so definitely pick a cheese that you love!
- Get creative with adding herbs for move flavor such as fresh basil, oregano, or thyme (honestly, I think most herbs would work here).
- If you have leftovers, they can easily be heated again on the stove top. I added another ~1/4 cup of stock (or so) and let the pot come to a simmer, then reduced heat to warm through. To ‘freshen’ the dish the second time around I also added herbs de Provence and sautéed shrimp…and, of course, more cheese…yum!
Cold Creek Farm 