Baked Barley with Shiitake Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions

Source: Cooking Light

Slow baking allows the barley to absorb the woodsy flavor of the mushrooms and the sweetness of the caramelized onion.

2 tablespoons butter (substitute 2 tablespoons of olive oil for a vegan version of this recipe)
4 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon sugar (for vegan, skip or sub raw sugar)
3 cups sliced button mushrooms (about 9 ounces)
3 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups uncooked pearl barley
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups vegetable broth
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and sugar; cover and cook 25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Add barley; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce, salt, pepper, and thyme.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Pour broth over barley mixture; cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until barley is tender. Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 2/3 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 292(17% from fat); FAT 5.4g (sat 2.6g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 9.5g; CHOLESTEROL 10.4mg; CALCIUM 42mg; SODIUM 908mg; FIBER 10.7g; IRON 2.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 55.1g

Jeanne Lemlin
Cooking Light, MARCH 2003

I talked about this recipe HERE.