# Barley



## Poutine (Feb 5, 2007)

I just watched _Good Eats_ and Alton Brown was talking about barley.
I have never cooked with barley before and I would like to try it out. 

Maybe make some Beef and Barely Soup - he did not make any in the show.
Can I just add cooked barley to a soup I have already made?

Does anybody have any good barley recipes?

Thanks

 (I would have put this under "beef" but I did not want the ideas limited to beef.)


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## boufa06 (Feb 5, 2007)

No problem adding cooked barley to the soup.  The only difference is that your soup will be much clearer.  

You can prepare a refreshing drink by boiling barley and sweetening it with honey and if you so wish, adding some lemon juice.  Cooked barley can be added to simple white bread recipe.


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## VeraBlue (Feb 5, 2007)

If the soup is already made, don't add the barley right from the bag.  You'll have to cook it seperately in boiling water now.  Otherwise, you'll have to boil your finished soup to cook the barley.  Next time, add the barley to your soup as you are making it so it will cook along with the vegetables, etc.

Roasted barley is wonderful.  Heat a heavy skillet with olive oil and butter and toast the raw barley in the pan for a couple of minutes.  Then, add it to the soup as you normally would.  You can roast it in the oven, too, for a few minutes.   The flavour is intense and earthy.


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## PytnPlace (Feb 5, 2007)

I just made beef barley this weekend.  Added it about 1/2 before the soup was finished.


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## sparrowgrass (Feb 5, 2007)

Barley "risotto" is good.  Toast the barley in some olive oil, add some garlic and onion, cook with chicken broth and finish with some parmesan.

(That works for steel cut oats, too.  Can you tell I am working on adding more whole grains to my diet?)


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## lulu (Feb 5, 2007)

Oh VB, roasted barley sounds good, I will have to try that one day. And barley risotto style, that would be a big hit in my house I think.

Personally I love barley in a stew, particualrly rabbit stew.


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## Michelemarie (Feb 5, 2007)

I make beef barley soup all the time - I add my barley about 1.5 - 2 hours before serving.  I do turn the heat up for a bit but then back down again. Yum!


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## YT2095 (Feb 5, 2007)

I grow my own barley as well as wheat, you Can put a Little but of barley in with the weat when you grind it to make your own bread flour, not TOO much though.

also if you`re Patient, and the barly`s Viable you can soak it water then drain it and leave it wet in a bowl for several days until it starts to sprout (don`t let it dry), when the little tap root is just visible and about to break the skin, give it a final rinse and lay it out on a cookie tray and heat it on low in the oven until dry and crunchy.

now you can either eat it like that, or grind it up to a flour and boil it up in a pan of milk to make a great night time drink before bed. OR you can add a little yeast and water and brew it to make beer (add a few hops towards the end).

eitherway, you have Fresh Malt now


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## Poutine (Feb 5, 2007)

Thanks for you help/suggestions. 

On Good Eats he made that barley water, I thought it looked strange but I will try that out one day when I am feeling adventurous. 

It is cold out today (I am sick of shovelling snow) and I would like to make some soup.

Does anybody have a recipe for a barley soup?

Thanks


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## MrBoofuss (Feb 5, 2007)

All of these sound wonderful! I used to be a cook at an assisted living facility, and would make beef barley soup for the residents supper. They loved it! I'm sure it would have been better had it been roasted.


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## Michael in FtW (Feb 5, 2007)

Barley is a grain - it can be used in several ways. 

Take your pick ... Barley Recipes 

If you've already got a pot of beef and vegetable soup ... drain off enough of the liquid (from the soup) to cook the barley in - then add it back to the ramainder of the soup and heat through - this way the barley gets the flavor from the soup (like using a broth/stock) without over cooking the rest of the soup.


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## Poutine (Feb 6, 2007)

Thanks for that tip about cooking it in the broth to add flavour. 
And thanks for the link - I have already googled it but there are so many different recipes I was hoping to get one that somebody here has already tried out.


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