Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Cranberries with Barley

December 28, 2012

Author: Maur Rodman

Ingredients:

1 pound brussel sprouts, tips cut off, discolored leaves removed and sliced in half

(smaller sprouts are better than large)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt

2/3 cup fresh cranberries (or 1/3 cup dried cranberries)

1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola or goat cheese

1/3 cup freshly toasted pecans

1 1/2 cups cooked barley, reheated

1 tablespoon maple syrup, or more to taste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat your broiler.

2. Set a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Let it heat up for 2 to 2 minutes. It should be so hot that a few drops of water sizzle and quickly disappear after contact.

3. In a medium sized bowl, toss the prepared brussel sprouts with olive oil and salt. Toss well, so that the sprouts are evenly coated in a thin layer of oil.

4. Once the pan is hot, dump the sprouts into the pan and quickly rearrange them so the flat sides are faced down. Let them cook for two minutes.

5. Toss the fresh cranberries into the pan and transfer the pan to the broiler. The pan will be heavy and hot so use oven mitts and be careful! Let the brussels sprouts broil for about 3 minutes. Check the sprouts for doneness- their tops should be a little browned and the bottoms caramelized. How long you should leave them in there depends on your preferences and your oven. The cranberries should have started popping by now; set the hot pan on your stovetop for a couple of minutes while you reheat the barley.

6. Toss the warm barley, sprouts, cranberries, cheese and pecans in a bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Season with salt, divide into smaller bowls, and enjoy!

Shiitake Mushroom and Barley Soup

December 26, 2012

Author: Akasha Richmond

Akasha is a self-trained chef and artisan-style baker who has been cater­ing events in Los Angeles and other parts of the coun­try for over twenty years. She began her pro­fes­sional career at the Golden Temple, a now defunct but once pop­u­lar veg­e­tar­ian restau­rant in Los Angeles. It was in this kitchen that Akasha dis­cov­ered her pas­sion for mak­ing deli­cious dishes with good-for-you ingre­di­ents. After the Golden Temple she became Michael Jackson’s per­sonal and con­cert tour chef. AKASHA is her first restau­rant ven­ture, the result of a vision she has had for many years.

Her cook­book HOLLYWOOD DISH includes tales of Hollywood’s 100-year pas­sion for organic foods and healthy lifestyles and sto­ries of her favorite cook­ing expe­ri­ences: mak­ing hol­i­day din­ners for Billy Bob Thornton, cater­ing par­ties for Pierce Brosnan, pro­duc­ing events at the Sundance Film Festival, and work­ing as a pri­vate chef for Barbra Streisand.

She lends her time and exper­tise to groups such as Share Our Strength, Environmental Media Association, Common Threads and Pediatric Aids. She has appeared on The Food Network (The Best Thing I Ever Ate), Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Planet Green, and nation­wide news programs.

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 ounces dried porcini or other dried mushroom

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large or 2 small shallots, finely chopped

2 leeks, pale green and white parts only, cleaned, and finely chopped

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems wiped clean, trimmed and sliced

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

1 large carrot, diced

1 large parsnip, diced

1/2 cup whole barley

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

Bring the water to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan. Add the porcini mushrooms, turn off the heat and cover.

Let sit for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft. Drain, reserving the liquid, and finely chop the mushrooms.

Heat the butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, shallots, and salt. Cook for

about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and fragrant. Lower the heat to medium, add the

leeks, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the shiitakes and the soaked porcini and cook another 5-8

minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms are well cooked.

Add the stock, celery, carrots, parsnips, barley, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for one hour or until the barley is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the chopped parsley.

Pressure Cooker Stew for Sukkot: Oxtail Soup

April 9, 2013

Author: Kitchen Tested

Originally published in Kitchen Tested.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. beef oxtail

6-8 marrow bones

1 package frozen mixed vegetables

2 large carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

1 turnip, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 bunch fresh parsley

1 bunch fresh dill

1/2 cup barley

1/4 cup split peas

1/4 cup elbow macaroni

2 potatoes

2 Tbsp onion soup mix

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

Preparation:

In a pressure cooker, place the frozen mixed vegetables, carrots, celery, parsnip, turnip, onion, parsley and dill.

Rinse the barley and split peas and add to the pressure cooker.

Add all remaining ingredients and cover with water. Close the pressure cooker.

Bring water to a boil (should take around 20 minutes) then cook for 15 minutes.

Note: if you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can make this soup in a regular pot. Just boil the soup for 1-2 hours.

Veggie Cholent

March 6, 2014

Author: Batsheva Frankel

I developed this recipe as an alternative to meat cholent- because I stopped eating meat when I started keeping shabbat. It’s yummy and fast!

Ingredients:

Barley

1 can whole potatoes

1 can cut sweet potatoes

1 brown onion – sliced

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can veggie baked beans

4-6 whole cloves of garlic

1 cup of ketchup

1 cup of BBQ sauce

1 parve kishke (sliced)

Preparation:

Grease sides and bottom of crock pot with olive oil. Cover bottom of crock pot with thin layer of barley. Put all ingredients in crock pot in order listed on Friday before shabbat- it will be ready for shabbat lunch!

Beef Barley Soup with a Secret

April 4, 2014

Author: Liz

My grandmother, Bertha Scher, was a believer in the slow sauté. Chopped onions and garlic, sautéed over the lowest flame, still releases the familiar memories of so much of the food she joyfully prepared for 8 grandkids. We all loved the sweetness and depth of flavor in her cooking and of course, never gave it much thought.

It occurs to me, now, that she teased it out with another kitchen basic. This common and distinctly American condiment added a toasty honey hue (yup, she knew about eye appeal, too) to countless bowls of her veggie soup and equally irresistible potted meatballs.

The secret ingredient was ketchup.

And while Nanny may have knowingly reached for ketchup for a little zest and tang, I rarely do. But, anticipating yet another snowfall last week, I channeled her slightly sweet and perfectly uncomplicated cooking with this easy, long simmered, beef barley soup. I am sure she would have loved this “bowl of health”.

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

6 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

one pound beef flanken, chopped or stew meat (not too lean)

8 oz. white, organic, mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced

1 cup pearl barley, rinsed

1 cup homemade beef or chicken stock

10-12 cups beef or veggie broth (organic, preferably)

3 Tb. ketchup

a generous handful of fresh dill, chopped

salt and pepper

Preparation:

Sautee onion and garlic, 7-10 mins.

Add beef and brown.

Throw all ingredients into slow cooker, stir to combine and simmer on low for 8 hours. Alternatively, simmer, covered, on stove top for 2 hours.

Enjoy this rich and old fashioned soup on a freezing winter day!

Tips: The best dishes use homemade chicken, beef or vegetable broth. I keep a container for each, clearly labeled, in my freezer. When I have leftover gravy from roasted chicken or cooking liquid from wokked or steamed vegetables, I cool it and add it to the appropriate container. These long simmered gravies serve as rich, complex bases for winter soups.

Posted in Soups and Stews

Tags: barley, Beef, carrots, celery, grandparents, ketchup, Mushrooms, Soup