Barley is a nutritious whole grain that retains far more nutrients than pearl barley. It does take longer to cook and tends to require more water, but the taste is more than worth it, and you can make it up to 3 days in advance. I like to enhance this medley with pomegranate molasses. A staple in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, it’s a luscious sweet-tart syrup made by boiling down pomegranate juice until it becomes thick. It’s available at spice and gourmet shops, but it’s easy enough to make on your own…with a little patience—expect a couple of cups of juice to take an hour or more to reduce (check the pot often and stand by when it gets close to the syrup stage to avoid burning it).
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked hulled barley
- 8 cups water, divided use
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and thyme leaves
- 8 ounces spinach leaves, rinsed, patted dry, and rough-chopped
- 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen (see Healthy Ingredient Spotlight in weekly newsletter)
- Optional: 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, more to taste
Directions
Step 1
Add the dry barley and 6 cups of water to a wide saucepan. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally and checking that the water doesn’t evaporate before the barley is done; if needed, add more water, 1 cup at a time. For the last 10 minutes, stir continuously to prevent scorching as the last of the water gets absorbed.
Step 2
Defrost the peas if frozen. Heat a wok or wide sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and onions; cook until the onions turn translucent, sprinkling them with salt after 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic, black pepper, and herbs; continue cooking until the mushrooms give up most of their liquid. Push the other vegetables to the side and add the spinach, a handful at a time, cooking each batch until wilted.
Step 3
When all the vegetables are tender, fold in the peas, cooked barley, and pomegranate molasses, if using. Serve in deep bowls with a drizzle of olive oil.
Yields 4 servings