Baked Barley

[forty_caliber]

I made this dish as a side to go with some smoked chicken and sausage for our supper tonight. It came out tender even if kind of bland. Had a pleasant earthy, nutty taste.

It got mixed reviews from the family. What could I do to jazz it up and make it more appealing?

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Baked Barley
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Recipe By: Adapted from Good Eats
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 cup barley, hulled or pearled
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups beef stock, boiling

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the barley into a 1 1/2-quart ceramic or glass baking dish (with a lid) and add the butter, salt and boiling water. Stir to combine. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and place the lid on top of the foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove the cover, fluff with a fork and serve immediately.

 

[justplainbill]

Thanks for the recipe suggestion. Wonder if it can be made in a dutch oven? Looks like your portions are almost as big as your state .

 

[Andy M.]

Things that come to mind quickly:

Saute onions and garlic in the butter
Also add diced green bell or chile peppers to the saute
Add some cumin
Add some chili powder

Of course, this doesn't have to be done in the oven. You can accomplish the same thing with a tightly lidded sauce pan on the stove top.

 

[Kayelle]

I'd go along with Andy's suggestions or you could eliminate the salt in the recipe, and dump in an envelope of onion soup mix for a quick boost of flavor.

 

[forty_caliber]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I think I'll try the French Onion soup mix next time.

Justplainbill is absolutely right about the proportions. This would easily feed 10 as a side dish. I'll update the recipe.

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[DaveSoMD]

Sounds good.. and hey.. there are lots of left-overs for the week!