Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Baked barley with caramelized onions and mushrooms

Cold weather actually allowed me to take to the stove this weekend and I wanted something a bit fall-ish. This recipe for baked barley with mushrooms and caramelized onions is originally from Cooking Light. Click here to get the recipe.

It's basically a big pile of mushrooms and onions, slow cooked to perfection. You're supposed to use a mix of button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, but I only had button mushrooms, sadly.

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A good excuse to use my favorite Dansk dutch oven

Add broth and barley and bake for about an hour and what you get is almost a risotto, but without all the stirring.

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It's not bad, but it also won't blow your mind. It's warm, and comforting, and surprisingly good for you, although just a little lacking in flavor. However, I ate the leftovers for lunch and it re-heats nicely - I actually think I liked it better the next day. I don't think it will make the permanent rotation, but it could be a nice little side dish for Thanksgiving.

13 comments:

  1. Well, no matter the limited range of taste, the way you photographed it makes it look so warm and inviting!

    I'm so glad you finally had a chance to cook/bake this fall! 'Bout time, right?

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  2. yumm! i love mushroom anything! i have some creminis in the fridge i might try this recipe on tonight. ;-) xoxo

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  3. still looks pretty tempting. maybe with the addition a bunch of fresh herbs and the shiitakes it would be more impressive? i'm going to try it. I love whole grain anything.

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  4. Freaking yum. I love mild foods. I'm going to try this.

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  5. this looks amazing and i agree, risotto's usually better the next day. i just can't wait for the weather to officially cool so i can enjoy more dishes like these!

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  6. Yummy! Your photographs make the dish look so comforting...my husband loves mushrooms (more than me I think sometimes), and this is the perfect cold weather dish.

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  7. Mmm...I love mushroom barley soup, and this looks like a good rib sticking variation.

    What changes do you think would make it better? I might try roasting the onions instead of caramelizing to create a deeper flavour, and then maybe stirring in some fresh chopped parsley towards the end of cooking to inject a bright, acidic note.

    But I agree with the others--those photos make it look good enough to eat right now!

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  8. You guys are smart! Citysage, I think you're right - it needs something bright and acidic, but I couldn't think of anything to toss in that wouldn't be weird. Parsley might be perfect!

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  9. Mmmm.... Caramelize my life! I love anything caramelized a perfect meal to eat alone or as a side.

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  10. This sounds like a total comfort dish. You say it's a little lacking in flavor...maybe some tamari? That's C-Man's answer to everything! ;)

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  11. That looks so good. I love barley. I don't know why, but I do.

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  12. barley, beans and rice make me homesick!
    your dish looks so good, have you ever thought of doing a cookbook?

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  13. This looks good - although every time I try to caramelise onions it goes badly wrong.

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