INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Saute some sliced mushrooms (say a cup or so), in a teaspoon or so of
butter.  Or sweat the mushrooms after sprinkling with butter flavor or
butter extract.  Take a 1-1/2 quart ovenproof dish and add 1-1/2 cups
washed pearl barley.  Add 2 cans (about 3-3/4 c) stock (see note below).
Add the mushrooms, deglazing the pan with a bit of the stock. Bake,
covered, in a medium oven (350-375 deg F) until the barley is tender
(notice that barley never gets soft--it's more like al dente, there's a
little resistance, but no starchy core) which takes about an hour or so,
depending on the age of the barley, etc.  Add more stock if it dries out
before it's done, but don't drown it.
Optional extras--sweat a little minced garlic, a clove or two, in a little
broth until it softens.  Do the same with chopped onion, about 1/4 to 1/2
cup.
Broth note--I use beef-flavored boullion because the flavors of beef and
barley go very well together--this dish is very "meaty" and satisfying. You
can certainly use any good broth, as long as it's not too salty. There are
quite a few good vegetarian beef-flavored broths, as well as vegetable
flavored broths, both canned and dry. This isn't good with chicken-flavored
broth; something about the barley just doesn't work.
Two good books are Greene on Grain and Great Grains, but I think this
recipe came from somewhere else.
Regards, Mary Mary Shafer DoD #362 KotFR SR-71 Chief Engineer NASA Dryden
Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA shafer@ferhino.dfrf.nasa.gov
From Fatfree Digest April-May 1994, Formatting by Sue Smith (using MMCONV)
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/fatfreex.zip

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