Heya folks,

I am trying to eat healthier these days...

I found some hulled barley (NOT pearled) in Whole Foods today, and I
got it to try it . I have been googling for recipes and ways to cook
it. So far, it seems like it will take a long time to cook. Most
sites suggest that it will take at least 1 hour and 15 minutes to
cook, and usually longer, up to 2 hours. That seems to be when it is
cooked like rice. I have been trying to find recipes for it, other
than just cooking it like plain rice.

Has anyone cooked with hulled barley? If so, have you ever fixed it
like a pilaf? Or do you have any other ideas? I know I can put it in
soups too, but I think for right now, I am most interested in side
dishes.

Christine

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> Heya folks,
>
> I am trying to eat healthier these days...
>
> I found some hulled barley (NOT pearled) in Whole Foods today, and I
> got it to try it . I have been googling for recipes and ways to cook
> it. So far, it seems like it will take a long time to cook. Most
> sites suggest that it will take at least 1 hour and 15 minutes to
> cook, and usually longer, up to 2 hours. That seems to be when it is
> cooked like rice. I have been trying to find recipes for it, other
> than just cooking it like plain rice.
>
> Has anyone cooked with hulled barley? If so, have you ever fixed it
> like a pilaf? Or do you have any other ideas? I know I can put it in
> soups too, but I think for right now, I am most interested in side
> dishes.
>
> Christine

Christine, I just looked in a cookbook "The Versatile Grain and the Elegant
Bean" and on p. 28 it says "Whole Hulled Barley: It can be cooked unground,
added to soups and casseroles or used as a whole grain cereal. There are a
few barley recipes, but none for Whole Hulled.
Dee Dee

On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 22:21:27 -0500, "Dee Randall"
> wrote:

>Christine, I just looked in a cookbook "The Versatile Grain and the Elegant
>Bean" and on p. 28 it says "Whole Hulled Barley: It can be cooked unground,
>added to soups and casseroles or used as a whole grain cereal. There are a
>few barley recipes, but none for Whole Hulled.
>Dee Dee
>

Thanks Dee.

That is the type of stuff I am getting from googling. Nothing really
specific.

It has such a long cooking time, from what I am gathering and I am not
sure how it would do in specific recipes. Yes, I can serve it like
rice. But I like things like risotto and pilafs....and I really don't
know if I can reasonably substitute hulled barley for rice in these
types of preparations.

I might just have to experiment. In the meantime, if anyone has
worked with hulled barley in recipes, please let me know.

Christine

On Sun 12 Feb 2006 07:29:31p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Christine
Dabney?

> Heya folks,
>
> I am trying to eat healthier these days...
>
> I found some hulled barley (NOT pearled) in Whole Foods today, and I
> got it to try it . I have been googling for recipes and ways to cook
> it. So far, it seems like it will take a long time to cook. Most
> sites suggest that it will take at least 1 hour and 15 minutes to
> cook, and usually longer, up to 2 hours. That seems to be when it is
> cooked like rice. I have been trying to find recipes for it, other
> than just cooking it like plain rice.
>
> Has anyone cooked with hulled barley? If so, have you ever fixed it
> like a pilaf? Or do you have any other ideas? I know I can put it in
> soups too, but I think for right now, I am most interested in side
> dishes.

I bake it in the oven using either chicken or beef broth, chopped onion,
lots of mushrooms, and herbs of your choice. First, sauté the barley in
butter until golden, then add onion, and lastly the mushrooms. Continue
cooking until mushrooms have given up most of their moisture. Combine with
broth in a covered casserole. Bake at 325° F. until barley is tender and
liquid has slightly thickened. Add additional broth as needed during
baking if barley become dry. It usually does take 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Sorry, I don't have proportions, as I just eyeball it.

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

On 13 Feb 2006 04:30:26 +0100, Wayne Boatwright
<wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote:

>I bake it in the oven using either chicken or beef broth, chopped onion,
>lots of mushrooms, and herbs of your choice. First, sauté the barley in
>butter until golden, then add onion, and lastly the mushrooms. Continue
>cooking until mushrooms have given up most of their moisture. Combine with
>broth in a covered casserole. Bake at 325° F. until barley is tender and
>liquid has slightly thickened. Add additional broth as needed during
>baking if barley become dry. It usually does take 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
>Sorry, I don't have proportions, as I just eyeball it.

Thanks! And this is using hulled barley, not pearled barley?

Christine

On Sun 12 Feb 2006 08:36:35p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Christine
Dabney?

> On 13 Feb 2006 04:30:26 +0100, Wayne Boatwright
> <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>I bake it in the oven using either chicken or beef broth, chopped onion,
>>lots of mushrooms, and herbs of your choice. First, sauté the barley in
>>butter until golden, then add onion, and lastly the mushrooms. Continue
>>cooking until mushrooms have given up most of their moisture. Combine
>>with broth in a covered casserole. Bake at 325° F. until barley is
>>tender and liquid has slightly thickened. Add additional broth as
>>needed during baking if barley become dry. It usually does take 1-1/2
>>to 2 hours. Sorry, I don't have proportions, as I just eyeball it.
>
> Thanks! And this is using hulled barley, not pearled barley?

I have used both. The hulled barley just takes longer to cook tender.

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

In article >,
Christine Dabney > wrote:

> Heya folks,
>
> I am trying to eat healthier these days...
>
> I found some hulled barley (NOT pearled) in Whole Foods today, and I
> got it to try it . I have been googling for recipes and ways to cook
> it. So far, it seems like it will take a long time to cook. Most
> sites suggest that it will take at least 1 hour and 15 minutes to
> cook, and usually longer, up to 2 hours. That seems to be when it is
> cooked like rice. I have been trying to find recipes for it, other
> than just cooking it like plain rice.
>
> Has anyone cooked with hulled barley? If so, have you ever fixed it
> like a pilaf? Or do you have any other ideas? I know I can put it in
> soups too, but I think for right now, I am most interested in side
> dishes.
>
> Christine

My mom always added it to soups and stews.

20 minutes in the pressure cooker will do it.
Treat it like brown rice.

HTH?
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

at Mon, 13 Feb 2006 02:29:31 GMT in <scrvu154m79sbc6s682li03tg589nuepnm@
4ax.com>, (Christine Dabney) wrote :

>Heya folks,
>
>I am trying to eat healthier these days...
>
>I found some hulled barley (NOT pearled) in Whole Foods today, and I
>got it to try it . I have been googling for recipes and ways to cook
>it. So far, it seems like it will take a long time to cook. Most
>sites suggest that it will take at least 1 hour and 15 minutes to
>cook, and usually longer, up to 2 hours.

2 hours is typical. There's no real way to speed up the process.

>That seems to be when it is
>cooked like rice. I have been trying to find recipes for it, other
>than just cooking it like plain rice.

IMHO cooking it like plain (long-grain) rice is a bad idea. Hulled barley
absorbs water more gradually and requires long, slow cooking, similar to
what you would do for a braise. Lots of water, too - 4 cups of water for 1
cup of hulled barley.

>Has anyone cooked with hulled barley? If so, have you ever fixed it
>like a pilaf?

You wouldn't do it like that because it doesn't turn out dry and fluffy, it
turns out creamy and chewy, like a risotto. You can use it in exactly the
same way you would a risotto, with good results. You can also use it as a
base for hearty stews - either with meat or meatless.

Hulled barley is my favourite grain, without any question whatsoever. One
recipe I do all the time is as simple as pie:

1/2 cup hulled barley
1/2 cup dry beans (lentils or kidney beans seem best)
3/4 lbs carrots
5 stalks celery
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne
5 large sprigs cilantro

In separate pots, put the barley and the beans. (If using lentils, you can
start the lentil pot much later). Add 2 cups water to the barley, and as
much as required for the beans - generally 2 cups for kidney beans, 1 1/4
cups for lentils. Heat both at gentle heat, just at a simmer, for about 2
hours or so. When the barley has absorbed most of the water, chop carrots
and celery to mirepoix size, and mix in along with the spices. After the
vegetables have softened, mince the cilantro leaves, then mix them and the
beans (which should be cooked by now) into the barley. Serve. Serves 4.

In the risotto-like category, try using mushroom stock along with some
chopped mushrooms and peas added right near the end (don't, however, add
cheese with this one - not so good).

There are numerous things you can make along similar lines. Hulled barley
is sufficiently satisfying and hearty to stand as a main dish on its own,
btw - what I've outlined above, scaled up in portion size, would be just
fine as a main dish.

When combining with meat, lamb is unquestionably the best match. The
combination seems made for each other. Hulled barley is also one of the
grains that can hold its own against mutton, because it works well with the
latter's need for long cooking times.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Alex wrote:

>> I found some hulled barley (NOT pearled) in Whole Foods today, and I
>> got it to try it . I have been googling for recipes and ways to cook
>> it. So far, it seems like it will take a long time to cook. Most
>> sites suggest that it will take at least 1 hour and 15 minutes to
>> cook, and usually longer, up to 2 hours.
>
> 2 hours is typical. There's no real way to speed up the process.

Not even a pressure cooker? My pressure cooker manual specifies 4 cups of
liquid to 1 cup of hulled barley, bring to pressure and cook for 20 minutes.
(But let me just mention that I haven't TRIED cooking barley that way, and
manufacturer's manuals have been known to be wrong.)

Bob

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> Heya folks,
>
> I am trying to eat healthier these days...
>
> Has anyone cooked with hulled barley? If so, have you ever fixed it
> like a pilaf? Or do you have any other ideas? I know I can put it in
> soups too, but I think for right now, I am most interested in side
> dishes.


Christine, I have made this recipe a few times. It calls for pearl barley,
but I used whole hulled barley because that is what I had. I just had to
cook it longer...between 1/5 and 1.75 hours, but it depends how much chew
you like in the final result. This does turn out more like a risotto than a
pilaf, but it's just delicious in any case. The pine nuts and green onions
really make it.t

1/4 c. butter
1 med onion, diced
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
1/2 c. pine nuts
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8. tsp. pepper
2 14.5 ounce cans chicken or vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt butter in a skillet over med-high heat. Stir in
onion, barley, and pine nuts. Cook and stir until barley is lightly
browned. Mix in green onions, mushrooms, and parsley. Season w/ salt &
pepper. Transfer mixture to 2 qt. casserole dish, and stir in the broth.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes in preheated oven (longer for whole hulled
barley!!), or until liquid has been absorbed and barley is tender.

Christine Dabney wrote on 12 Feb 2006 in rec.food.cooking

> Heya folks,
>
> I am trying to eat healthier these days...
>
> I found some hulled barley (NOT pearled) in Whole Foods today, and I
> got it to try it . I have been googling for recipes and ways to cook
> it. So far, it seems like it will take a long time to cook. Most
> sites suggest that it will take at least 1 hour and 15 minutes to
> cook, and usually longer, up to 2 hours. That seems to be when it is
> cooked like rice. I have been trying to find recipes for it, other
> than just cooking it like plain rice.
>
> Has anyone cooked with hulled barley? If so, have you ever fixed it
> like a pilaf? Or do you have any other ideas? I know I can put it in
> soups too, but I think for right now, I am most interested in side
> dishes.
>
> Christine

I've used/cooked 'Pot barley' which I 'think' is the same as your hulled
barley. I've covered the barley (1 cup) with the broth simmered it in
chicken broth and added more broth as required. I believe it took 3 or
more cups of stock and the barley trippled in size or better.

Pot barley isn't pearl barley as pearl has all the bran removed and Pot
Barley hasn't. It can be used effectively in Buckwheat type casseroles
quite nicely...Kaska type dealies with onion and mushrooms etc... added.

--
The eyes are the mirrors....
But the ears...Ah the ears.
The ears keep the hat up.

On Mon, 13 Feb 2006 09:55:06 -0000,
(Alex Rast) wrote:

>Hulled barley is my favourite grain, without any question whatsoever. One
>recipe I do all the time is as simple as pie:

Thanks so very much!

Christine

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!!!!

I have some hulled barley soaking now, per the bin instructions and I
will be trying one of these recipes later today.

Christine

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> Heya folks,
>
> I am trying to eat healthier these days...
>
> I found some hulled barley (NOT pearled) in Whole Foods today, and I
> got it to try it . I have been googling for recipes and ways to cook
> it. So far, it seems like it will take a long time to cook. Most
> sites suggest that it will take at least 1 hour and 15 minutes to
> cook, and usually longer, up to 2 hours. That seems to be when it is
> cooked like rice. I have been trying to find recipes for it, other
> than just cooking it like plain rice.
>
> Has anyone cooked with hulled barley? If so, have you ever fixed it
> like a pilaf? Or do you have any other ideas? I know I can put it in
> soups too, but I think for right now, I am most interested in side
> dishes.
>
> Christine

just a little tip. It freezes very well. I make a big batch and freeze the
rest in 1/2 cup servings. You can use it in what ever rec. calls for cooked
barley.