Barley with Dried Mushrooms

Name: Barley with Dried Mushrooms
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 ounce dried porcini; 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or extra virgin olive oil; 1 1/2 cups pearl barley; Salt and black pepper to taste; 2 1/2 cups stock, preferably homemade (pages 160–163), or water; Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

December 14, 2011

Plain barley, cooked any way you would rice, is fine stuff (make sure you buy pearl barley; the wholegrain variety takes forever to cook). But barley with some butter and dried mushrooms is just a fantastic midwinter side dish. Porcini mushrooms are best bought in large quantities; a pound might cost $40 or $50 but will last for years, whereas 1/2 ounce might cost $4 ($128 per pound) and last you a day.

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