Pearl Barley, a healthy option, grown in the UK, nutritious and delicious. Deal with it in the same way as rice but it takes about twice as long as rice to become tender. Use it in casseroles, a barley version of risotto, in salads as a substitute for quinoa (good as a packed lunch too).
To use in a salad:
- 125g of dry pearl barley will be enough for 4 people in a salad with other ingredients.
- Rinse it in a sieve under lots of cold running water and let it drain.
- Put the barley in a pan and add 250mls of water – the water will all be absorbed by the barley during cooking.
- Set the pan over high heat and bring to the boil.
- Stir it, lower the heat, cover the pan and let the barley cook in the simmering water – it will take about 30 minutes but check it from time to time – it should be a similar texture to rice when it is cooked – it has a good flavour so if it doesn’t taste good it probably needs more cooking time. You may need to top up the water if it is all absorbed before the barley is done.
To use in a casserole:
Add approximately 50g for each person to a casserole for texture and flavour. For example if you were making simple pot roast chicken Simple Pot Roasted Chicken with Vegetables from these pages you could substitute pearl barley for potatoes and add it just before the stock.
To use in a barley version of risotto:
For 4
The ingredients listed below will make a simple dish which you could use as an alternative to potatoes with roast chicken or roast lamb. But to make this basic barley dish into a meal in itself, add cheese such as grated Old Winchester or crumbled Stilton, or add cooked shellfish such as crab or brown shrimps. You might also want to use a different herb such as chopped sage with chicken, thyme leaves with lamb, snipped chives or chopped dill with crab or shrimps or even a few green peas.
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
50g butter
1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
250g pearl barley, rinsed under cold running water and drained
A small glass of cold white wine or cold dry vermouth or cold water
A small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Heat the stock in a pan until it boils, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently.
Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the onions and cook gently for five minutes or so, then add the garlic and stir well.
Add the pearl barley and stir, until the grains are combined with the other ingredients in the pan.
Pour in the wine, vermouth or water and stir well until the barley has absorbed the liquid.
Stir in a large spoonful of the hot stock and simmer, stirring until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process of adding the stock, simmering and stirring until all the stock is used up.
When the barley is cooked it should be of similar texture to cooked rice. If it is not quite cooked, add some hot water or more stock and continue as above until it is cooked.
At this point, stir in the parsley or other herbs and ingredients if you are using them.
Taste, add salt and pepper if you like and eat.
