| Food Focus: Barley |
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Food Focus: Barley From the grain family, barley is most easily found in hulled and pearl form, but can also be ground and flaked. Hulled barley has only had its outer hull removed, leaving behind the bran and a huge array of vitamins: fiber, B12, protein, magnesium, and calcium. Pearled barley has been even further scrubbed of its bran, allowing it to cook more quickly. It also tends to be stripped of more nutritional content, but is still a very good source of plant based protein. Barley helps to regulate digestion and its cooking liquid can act as a cooling digestive aid. A chemical byproduct of digesting barley attaches itself to the compounds that are the basis of cholesterol, eliminating some cholesterol. In Chinese medicine it has cooling, moistening qualities. Either form can be cooked in soups, stews, side dishes and morning cereal. Roasting it before cooking adds a nutty flavor. For a variation on risotto, substitute barley for arborio rice. For basic preparation: add one part barley to 2-3 parts water, bring to a boil, cover and lower to a simmer for 60-90 minutes. Soaking it, whether overnight or a few hours before cooking can shorten the cooking time.  Recipe of the Month: Lentil Soup with BarleyCare of grouprecipes.com 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 tsp dried marjoram 1 tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp pepper Pinch of salt 2 c. vegetable stock 2 c. water 1/4 c. barley 1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped 1 c. brown or green lentils 1/4 c. plain low-fat yogurt (optional) 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced (optional) 1. Heat oil over medium heat in large saucepan. Saute together onion, celery, carrot, marjoram, thyme, pepper and salt until onions are soft. This will take about 5 minutes. 2. Add water, stock, barley and lentils and bring to boil. 3. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until lentils and barley are tender. This will take about 40 minutes. 4. Stir in parsley prior to serving. Top each serving of soup with a spoonful of yogurt. Finally, sprinkle a dash of chopped parsley and enjoy. |
