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February, 2006 Barley Barley came into my little kitchen this month like an old friend who’d gone away traveling and come back with new tricks. The familiar and comforting grain was suddenly full of bright ideas. From childhood, as far as I was concerned barley was soup, and I loved barley soups. What is more hearty and warming in the dead of winter than a great mushroom-barley soup, or Pickle Soup, that barley and vegetable concoction with the secret ingredient? Then a baked barley casserole that a friend made came to mind, and grew into a craving. And I noticed that barley risotto was popping up on various menus around town. It sounded like just the thing for a February evening. Hoping to conjure that real winter feeling that is eluding us in California, I stirred up my own barley risotto with two kinds of mushrooms, some caramelized onions, a dash of truffle flour, and a small knob of butter stirred in at the end. It didn’t bring rain, but how nice it was to eat that barley risotto with a glass of good red wine. The mild taste of barley marries well with stronger flavors, such as wild mushrooms, onions, bitter greens, and tangy cheeses. Its own slightly nutty flavor can be enhanced by toasting, and barley adapts to both savory and sweet dishes. I have made a tasty breakfast porridge with barley, adding chopped apples, raisins, walnuts, a dash of cinnamon, and a little brown sugar. Agreeable as the flavor is, what really knocks me out about barley is the texture, the wonderful chewiness of it. Cooked barley is firm yet tender, never tough but eternally al dente. No matter how long it is simmered or how much liquid it absorbs, barley is still barley, not mush. (It will come as no surprise that it is remarkably high in fiber.) That’s what I remember about the great winter soups of my childhood – they were soups that gave you something to chew on. It is this resilient texture that makes barley an interesting choice for a risotto-like dish. Although it takes longer to cook than rice, here’s the great part: it can be pre-cooked. I simmered my barley first in lightly salted water and vegetable broth, then finished the risotto later in just a few minutes, combining the sautéed mushrooms and all the other ingredients as I would with rice, stirring in more broth, finishing with a bit of butter. The texture was perfect. The next day, when I reheated the leftovers with even more broth, the texture was perfect again. Next I made a barley gratin, which is nothing more than a casserole in a shallow baking dish, with some meltingly wonderful cream sauce or cheese on top that can be browned under a broiler. I combined pre-cooked barley with rapini (broccoli rabe) that had been stir-fried with garlic. To this I added some green onions, a touch of fresh mint to offset the earthy bitterness of the rapini, and some sharp cheese. I poured some vegetable broth over the mixture before topping it with the grated cheese, knowing that the liquid would be absorbed by the barley. It was a lovely supper dish, humble and satisfying and perfectly chewy. Most of February still lies ahead, then March, famous for bad weather. I see more barley going into gratins, making the house smell great and feel warm. I have my eye on a winter squash, and some kale and collard greens. Barley and root vegetables in a light cream sauce sounds like a good idea. A little later, barley pilaf with spring herbs. And for old time’s sake, Pickle Soup. See this month’s New Recipes for Barley Risotto with Shiitake Mushrooms. |