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Posted at 11:45AM, 05 November 2008 by Jenni Muir - Food writer

At a book planning meeting last week, Claire, the designer, vocalised what I think is a common problem: 'Please,' she said to the chef, 'can you give us some things to do with pearl barley BESIDES SOUP?'

How many of us have packets of grains we bought in a fit of healthy enthusiasm, slowly ageing in the back of the cupboard? Throwing a couple of tablespoons into a pot of wintry soup or stew occasionally isn't going to get through them before the mites and mice decide you're throwing a buffet and they're going to gatecrash. Thank heavens grains do have a long storage life - in airtight boxes or jars - but the longer you keep them, the longer they will take to cook.

How many of us have packets of grains we bought in a fit of healthy enthusiasm, slowly ageing in the back of the cupboard?

Although it's very much associated with traditional British cooking, pearl barley confuses a lot of people because it varies substantially in the degree of pearling and therefore in the time it takes to cook. Whitish, highly polished barley (usually bought in Asian/Oriental stores) could take 20-30 minutes, while the mottled beige pearl barley that you pick up in most health food shops will take 45 minutes - maybe longer if it's near the best before date on the packet. But I'd argue the health food shop stuff is better: it has a more rugged flavour and retains some of the healthy bran.

Barley risotto , or orzotto, still seems to be one of the trendy ways to use it , and at heart is genuinely Italian, but I'm not convinced of the need to stand and stir it - apart from helping people feel as though they are cooking something familiar. It's not going to make the dish creamier as it would with risotto rice. Why not just bung all the liquid in? Or even stick it in the oven?

An appealing (and very easy) barley twist on a familiar dish is to make porridge or 'rice pudding' with it, for breakfast or dessert. Something I'd be tempted to try in the crockpot overnight so it's all ready in the morning.

I also like this German idea . Barley goes so well with fatty meats like lamb - why not sausage and mustard? And you can't beat it with mushrooms either, so this is one soup I definitely will try , especially as it's had such high user ratings on the site. What about you? Do you have any favourite ways to use pearl barley?

Comments

James

5 November 2008, 12:11PM
James

Pearl barley was always the thing I loved best about roast lamb. Because you knew next time we visited my grandparents the leftover lamb and bones would become scotch broth, and at the bottom was the hidden treasure - pearl barley full of flavour. But of course there is more to food than soup. I still keep the lamb association but turn the pearl barley into risotto. The best secret about that is because it takes so long to cook, there's little chance of cooking it to a pulp if it's left on the heat too long while you're eating the starter, which can happen with traditional rice risotto. http://www.thecotswoldfoodyear.com/2008/11/saddle-of-lamb-with-pearl-barley.html

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MsVanDeKamp

5 November 2008, 1:36PM
MsVanDeKamp

I had the same problem after I bought a packet to go in a wintery mushroom soup. I made barley risotto in the over, and it went down a treat!

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Suzanne

5 November 2008, 3:50PM
Suzanne

Pearl barley is so cheap that I'm using it more and more often these days. Cook it, then while it's still warm toss it in a garlicky balsamic dressing or some pesto and set aside to cool down. You can then mix it with whatever veg you have for a brilliant salad - ideal for bringing into work the next day. Try crunchy broccoli, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, sliced mange tout, sliced peppers, roasted vegetables, artichokes, pumpkin seeds ... anything hardy that won't go limp the next day. Hot-smoked salmon flakes, tinned tuna and sliced cold meats are lovely too. Or have this barley salad warm with some griddled chicken slices on top. Lovely!

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James

5 November 2008, 10:42PM
James

You could do this: http://gottalearntomeasure.blogspot.com/2008/10/zucchini-rice-gratin-courtesy-of.html with pearl barley instead of rice.

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pebblesoup

5 December 2008, 1:36PM
pebblesoup

I've got it: it does turn creamy and crumpious but after 45 minutes, for hips' sake, I used half cream, half cream cheese. Delicious, will be "on the menu" again.

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