Pearl Barley

[FraidKnot]

Not only is barley a great addition to soup but it makes a great side dish rather than rice.

1/3 cup pearl barley
1 cup of water or broth or stock
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. butter

Bring the water to a boil and add the barley, salt, pepper and butter. Cover and bake in a 325F oven for 30 minutes until the barley is tender. This is delicous as a side dish. Serves 2 and may be doubled.

 

[DaCook]

cool, never thought of it as a side dish. Thanks.

 

[Ishbel]

Barley has always been a popular addition to Scottish stews, casseroles and soups - as well as used as a side dish. In the last couple of years, I've found that some of the upmarket restaurants are replacing the ubiquitious 'served on a bed of puy lentils' with 'served on a bed of barley'!

 

[FraidKnot]

Barley has always been a popular addition to Scottish stews, casseroles and soups - as well as used as a side dish. In the last couple of years, I've found that some of the upmarket restaurants are replacing the ubiquitious 'served on a bed of puy lentils' with 'served on a bed of barley'!

My last name is McQuown... you can't get much more Scottish than that! Aye, we eat barley and we eat pinhead oats and if you ask me nicely I'll gee ya the recipe for lamb stew!

Fraidy

 

[Robo410]

please for your receipt for lamb stew; I've a shoulder in the cooler right now awaiting the cooker.

 

[ChefJune]

sounds tasty! There are lots of grains to use as an alternative to rice. One of my favorites is millet.

BUT, you all know the one about Pearl Barley, don't you? A woman of a certain age went into one of those multi-purpose stores where they sell a little bit of a lot of different items, and asked the clerk: "Do you have pearl barley?" The clerk paused, then asked a colleague who shook her head. Finally, the clerk entered "pearl barley" into the search box on her computer. When an answer popped up, she seemed very pleasedm and happily told the customer, "No, we've no Pearl Barley, but we do have some Ella Fitzgerald over in the Jazz section!"

 

[Ishbel]

My last name is McQuown... you can't get much more Scottish than that! Aye, we eat barley and we eat pinhead oats and if you ask me nicely I'll gee ya the recipe for lamb stew!

Fraidy

Is that a variation of MacEwan? It's not a spelling I've ever come across in Scotland. But that's a bit like Frazier.... no-one here spells Fraser with an 's' and 'I'

I'm sure everyone would enjoy any recipe you have for lamb - I've posted quite a few in the past.

I use a lot of steel cut oats, pin-head and other sizes, but that's cos I make a lot of home-made oatcakes, skirlie etc.

 

[Katie H]

Love barley, too. I use it a lot, particularly in the colder months. And I also use it as a side dish.

One of the frustrations I have been having the last several years is that my area grocery stores carry only the "quick" barley and I prefer the old-fashioned type.

Also really, really like steel-cut oats and have discovered that a store near me carries McCann's, which we love. Had been getting it mail order before.

 

[FraidKnot]

Is that a variation of MacEwan? It's not a spelling I've ever come across in Scotland. But that's a bit like Frazier.... no-one here spells Fraser with an 's' and 'I'

I'm sure everyone would enjoy any recipe you have for lamb - I've posted quite a few in the past.

I use a lot of steel cut oats, pin-head and other sizes, but that's cos I make a lot of home-made oatcakes, skirlie etc.

It's a variation of McEwan... I can trace my family back to 1679, the battle of Bothwell Bridge. We were captured

Lamb stew is just like beef stew. Just cut some lamb into chunks and add some barley. It's what you carry in your sprorran!

Jillian

 

[Shunka]

Funny that barley should come up as I made a huge pot of beef stew with lots of pearl barley in it yesterday!!!! Happy eating for me all week!!!!!!!

 

[Half Baked]

I make barley pilaf on occassion...just subbing cooked barley for rice.

 

[Ishbel]

It's a variation of McEwan... I can trace my family back to 1679, the battle of Bothwell Bridge. We were captured

Lamb stew is just like beef stew. Just cut some lamb into chunks and add some barley. It's what you carry in your sprorran!

Jillian

Most 'lamb' stews in Scotland started out as mutton stews. Lamb was always considered too fine a meat to stew - although I obviously stew it nowadays cos mutton is harder to come by!

My family have never left Scotland (well, branches did... to Canada, Australia and New Zealand, mostly..... as did so many Scots)

 

[FraidKnot]

True, mutton was cheaper. I have a hard time finding mutton in the States My father's ancestors arrived here in 1679, landed at Perth Amboy, NJ. My mom's parents arrived around 1919. We're all Scottish

Speaking of lamb, I got a couple of nice lamb loin chops at the grocery store yesterday and I'll be grilling today.

 

[Ishbel]

I won't get into the 'You are an American of Scots ancestry, not a Scot argument..'

I had lamb gigot chops for dinner last night with chappit tatties and bashed neeps, a little redcurrant gravy and brussel sprouts. YUM

 

[FraidKnot]

I won't get into the 'You are an American of Scots ancestry, not a Scot argument..'

I had lamb gigot chops for dinner last night with chappit tatties and bashed neeps, a little redcurrant gravy and brussel sprouts. YUM

Of course I'm an American but heh... I can pronounce Kirkintillach! When we were at the motel in Dickeyville, WI, the proprietess was Scottish and she thought I was Scottish. In fact, weird as it may sound, when we did a show in Highland, Illinois, a waitress at the diner took one look at me and offered me tea rather than coffee. I looked at John and said, "What was that about?" He said, "You look Scottish". Huh. I had no idea Scots had a certain "look"!

 

[Ishbel]

Of course I'm an American but heh... I can pronounce Kirkintillach! When we were at the motel in Dickeyville, WI, the proprietess was Scottish and she thought I was Scottish. In fact, weird as it may sound, when we did a show in Highland, Illinois, a waitress at the diner took one look at me and offered me tea rather than coffee. I looked at John and said, "What was that about?" He said, "You look Scottish". Huh. I had no idea Scots had a certain "look"!

Well, it's really KirkintillOch! And I am unaware that there's a Scottish look.... some of us (like me) are what are thought of as typical Scots, ie fair skin, freckles and red hair. But then my Dad had blue black hair - a kind of black Scots (but then he was a highlander).. and my mum was a strawberry blonde. My sister is just a mousey-brown. We honestly come in all shapes, sizes and colourings. I think there is a lot of Brigadoonery about Scotland the Scots from those abroad!

 

[jpmcgrew]

I also really like pearl barley.Last week I made a vegetable beef soup with beef shanks and bone marrow dumplings made with the marrow of the beef shanks I then added some barley instead of the green spelt the recipe calls for and which I dont have and it turned out great.

 

[FraidKnot]

Well, it's really KirkintillOch!

OCH! Aye! Grandba Brown was from Kirkintilloch and Grandma (Douglas) Brown was from Twechar. One of these days I'll be over for a visit. BTW, I don't know what "look" Scots have, either. It was just weird the waitress immediately offered me tea rather than asking if I wanted coffee.

 

[Ishbel]

I also really like pearl barley.Last week I made a vegetable beef soup with beef shanks and bone marrow dumplings made with the marrow of the beef shanks I then added some barley instead of the green spelt the recipe calls for and which I dont have and it turned out great.

Sounds like a good soup, jpmcgrew! The weather is getting colder and certainly wetter, or as we say 'driech'.... soup is great for this sort of weather and your recipe sounds ort of like Scotch broth (without the addition of the dumplings).

 

[Gretchen]

Barley can also be cooked like a risotto.
One addition I love in my lamb stew is turnips.