As much as I love beef barley soup, I don't think I've ever had it made fresh. It's always been from a can or some random hot buffet in Midtown, Manhattan on a cold afternoon. My version uses a really nicely marbled piece of beef chuck which I like to cut into large chunks along with lots of mushrooms which I feel enhance beef's beefiness. The sneaky addition of a black garlic clove adds nice depth, but feel free to just use a splash of Worcestershire or soy sauce if you don't have any on hand. Pearl barley has a really wonderful bite, but this can also be done with rice or even pearl couscous. A final splash of acid brings the whole thing together. I think you'll be saying goodbye to the canned stuff forever. 

Beef, Mushroom, & Barley Soup

I love mushy food. Especially in the doldrums of winter, I crave hearty porridges that warm me from the inside out, require little more work than stirring, and are so spoonable that chewing is optional. Bowls of oatmeal, daal, risotto, congee, grits—I could go on. As luck would have it, this style of dish is also quite budget-friendly. In this recipe, I landed on chewy pearled barley as the porridge base, which is cheaper than other grains like steel-cut oats, farro, and millet. (Though, fun fact: You 

 make this dish with any of the above, or whatever grains you have on hand.) Here, cook the barley ($1.80) and 1½ cups cooked white beans (about $0.30 from dried or $2 for a can) together, low and slow, until they break open into a rich, creamy porridge. Meanwhile, to get some color and bright flavor in this dish, roast a bunch of bitter broccoli rabe ($3.50) with ground coriander and grated garlic just until it starts to char. Make some quick-pickled onions with lemon or lime ($1) to toss over the porridge and greens just before serving. For a bit of crunch (not required, but very welcome), top each bowl with a handful of toasted sesame or sunflower seeds.

Belly-Warming Barley Porridge

This easy one-pot meal is the kind of dish that looks and tastes like something you’ve been simmering all day, but it actually comes together in under 45 minutes—with very little attention. It’s creamy, savory, and perfect for fall. This recipe takes advantage of the deep, sweet flavor and smooth texture of kabocha squash. You may have seen this squat, green-skinned beauty at the farmers market or eaten it in a Japanese restaurant. When simmered beyond 20 minutes, its dense flesh breaks down and becomes smooth and creamy, creating the perfect velvety background for chewy barley and vibrant leafy greens. The dish is flavored with a combination of white miso, fresh ginger, and tamari—which combine beautifully to create a fortifying and delicious meal that is sure to warm you up on chilly autumn days. 

This recipe calls for mellow or sweet white miso, but other types will work, too: If you choose to use a darker miso, like brown rice or barley miso, start with 1½ tablespoons and increase to taste. The darker the miso, the salter it tends to taste.

As much as I love this bowl served straight up, sometimes I like to dress it up with toasted seeds (pumpkin, sesame, or sunflower), gomasio (sesame salt), sliced scallions or chives, or a drizzle of good olive or flax oil, or all of the above. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, it stores well for up to 4 days in the fridge. Just warm it up with a splash of water and remove from the heat as soon as it begins to simmer—this way you don’t harm the naturally occurring enzymes in the miso.


One-Pot Squash & Barley Bowl With Miso

Growing up, soft pretzels were one of the few junk foods my siblings and I were allowed to eat. This homemade variation is a variation of my mother's recipe, paired with the Kentuckian classic, beer cheese. I recommend letting the cheese warm to room temperature and spreading it over a hot pretzel, then enjoying the whole ensemble with a cold beer.

Soft Pretzels with Beer Cheese

This recipe is a result of some experimenting with shan tofu. And, thinking: "Hm, I think barley flour might do the same thing!" since at the time I had a lot of barley flour at my house, as I was writing a recipe book for 

. So I thought, "Why don't I try it out, see if it congeals in the same way?" and lo and behold—it did. 

This recipe was featured on our new cook-along podcast 

. Listen as Jenny whisks, grates, and sizzles her way through this recipe offering insider tips and backstory along the way.

Barley "Tofu" With Garlicky Chili Oil

I always loved mushroom barley soup as a child but could never find a recipe to duplicate the flavors I remembered.  As I grew more proficient as a cook, I began experimenting and found the flavors I remembered in this recipe I created.  I hope you enjoy it! - Berna

Mushroom Barley Soup

 by Mona Talbott. (Hers is made with cannellini or cranberry beans instead; it suggests but does not include the farro and barley.) Chickpea-cooking technique adapted from Melissa Clark.

Winter-Warming, Freezer-Friendly, Pantry-Cleaning Soup

Being a Jersey girl, this salad showcases two of my favorite local ingredients, corn and tomatoes. This salad is best at the peak of summer when corn is most sweet, fresh, and juicy. Its light, crisp flavor makes a delicious side dish when served with grilled meats, or it can also stand alone as a light lunch.

Grilled Corn & Barley Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette  

The mushrooms are cooked with lots of butter and herbs and then served warm with the most soothing topping.  You can prepare the mushrooms and barley ahead of time, then heat them up and add the lemon, feta, and herbs at the last minute. Try your hand at preserving lemons if have the patience.  Otherwise, seek them out at a shop or online site specializing in North African food.

 Portobello Mushrooms with Pearled Barley and Preserved Lemon

I developed this bread originally using spent grains from a friend who is a gifted and endlessly creative artisan brewer, along with a mix of seeds, depending on what I had on hand.  I never knew exactly what the mix would be, but it always made bread so deeply good that people would call ahead on bake day to reserve loaves of it.  I adapted it for the Bulk Bin project to replace the mix of spent grains with some of my other most favorite grains and seeds.  I still call it Power Bread for the intrinsically wonderful protein, fiber, and EFA qualities of kamut, buckwheat, pearled barley, chia and golden flax seeds.  And I always toss in some uncooked polenta for a bit of crunch in every bite.  It makes great toast, and a killer grilled cheese sandwich!

As you read through the list of ingredients, if you think the water measurement seems unclear, bear in mind that you're going to cook the whole grains, and though you'll also drain them, they contribute a lot of hydration to the dough, depending on how thoroughly you drain them.  Don't press water out of them, in other words.  And feel free to add additional water to the dough if need be. - boulangere

Power Bread

Pomegranate soup starts out like a classic chunky bean soup recipe, with browned onions, garlic, beans, and barley, all cooked in stock. But then all of a sudden, the ingredients screech off the familiar path into wild territory, with cumin, turmeric, dried mint, and most exotic, tart ruby pomegranate syrup, following one after the other into the pot. This is a vegetarian pomegranate soup, a deliciously unfancy Iranian dish that’s probably been around since the domestication of pomegranates. Luckily, these days, you can find pomegranate molasses not only in Middle Eastern grocery stores, but in gourmet and natural markets as well. If you can’t find pomegranate molasses, you can always buy the juice, which is widely available, and 

. Whenever I cook with pomegranate molasses, I prefer to use brands that don’t contain sugar, because I like the pure taste of the fruit on its own and I prefer to control the amount of sweetener that gets added, but unsweetened molasses can be harder to come by. If you can’t find pomegranate in any form, a generous splash of lemon or lime will lift up the earthy flavors of beans and barley. To find dried mint, you will likely need to visit an Indian or Arabic market, or seek it out 

; it’s a magical ingredient that imparts food with a savory herbal flavor, sweeter than parsley and more pronounced and fragrant than coriander. Once you have all of the ingredients, this is an easy recipe. Like any hearty winter soup or stew, this dish gets better the longer it sits, so if possible, make it the day before serving. Featured In: 

Pomegranate Stars in This Homey, Vibrant Bean Soup

Persian Pomegranate Soup

This is simply the best hangover cure there is. The meat needs to have a good amount of fat on it, as this is the whole point of using gherkins—they cut through the fat. You should only use brined or fermented gherkins, as even the nicest vinegar will spoil this dish. Look for a label with 'ogórek kwaszony’ in Polish or Eastern European shops. Make the stock in advance and freeze it; it doesn’t take long to make this soup once the stock is ready. The fat, salt, and sugar from caramelized carrot will make you feel alive again.

Gherkin, Beef & Barley Broth (Рассольник | Rassol’nyk)

I love the soulful satisfaction of a great bowl of porridge. Whether it's chicken or fish, a long process with homemade stock or a simplified version using pre-made ingredients, it is customizable and delicious. While I often make mine with white rice, I wanted to try a whole-grain version; I first tried an unhulled barley I had on hand. I cooked and cooked and cooked it and it never quite got creamy enough. It was delicious, just not porridge-y. So this time I chose a pearled barley and got it to a point where it had just a slight bit of chew and a wonderful, silky sauce. 

I chose to make my own broth this time around, which I did the day before I made the porridge. The rest came together pretty quickly. You can certainly use canned stock (I imagine dashi would be a great option), or even pick the meat and simmer the bones of a rotisserie chicken, which adds a nice roasted flavor to the broth. I also added a couple smoked turkey tails that I had found at the Asian grocery store -- they are delicious and ham-like in flavor. I assume they are not that easy to come by, though, so you could use a smoked ham hock instead. 

Toppings-wise, you can add just about anything, but I love the sweetness of caramelized shallots, some sesame-garlic spinach, and, of course, a soft-cooked egg. 

A Soulful Bowl-Full (Smoky Chicken and Barley Congee)

Les Petits Farcis -- literally, "the little stuffed ones" -- is a favorite from the produce-rich cuisine of Provence. Though the stuffing is classically meat-based, grains and legumes step in seamlessly and provide just as much bite and satisfaction. It's nice to select an assortment of vegetables for this, mixing and matching the varieties and colors.

Stuffed Vegetables with Beans and Barley

This is a good way to sneak sardines onto the plates of unsuspecting souls. Wait for them to take a bite, ask them if they like it, and when they say yes, you can proclaim, "WELL IT'S FULL OF SARDINES! HA!" 

This was inspired by Martha Rose Shulman's recipe for Spinach, Sardine, and Rice Gratin in the New York Times. My version is less health food and more decadent, because if you're already using cheap, healthy, and divisive sardines, you deserve to let go a little in the rest of the recipe. I use parmesan in addition to breadcrumbs, crème fraîche in place of low-fat milk, and bone-in, skin-on sardines. The addition of sweet butternut squash and substituting heartier kale for the spinach really take it to another level. 

Sardine Casserole

This hearty stew is a taste of India. It contains the contents of 2 teabags (1 tablespoon) Chai Spice Black Tea, which adds an exotic, spicy aroma and flavor to the dish. It is delicious served with a dollop of plain yogurt, with flatbread on the side.

The Chai spices I used (Stash’s Premium Chai Spice Black Tea) is a blend of premium black teas and spices: ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom. I also added fresh ginger, garlic, and ground cumin. 

Chai-Spiced Chicken, Barley, and Chickpea Stew

Winter where I live in Finland is cold -- really cold. And the best way to brighten up your day, in my opinion, is to use gorgeous, bright-colored, fresh seasonal citrus fruit and earthy root vegetables that can chase any winter blues away. This recipe uses blood orange and slow-roasted parsnips and carrots combined with hearty cooked barley for a robust and satisfying salad.

Blood Orange, Roasted Root Vegetable, and Barley Salad

It's Wimbledon time back home in England, which brings to mind several things.  Rain firstly, then strawberries and cream, then this, lemon barely water.  Made by Robinsons, it's one of the official drinks at Wimbledon, and for me, one of the true tastes of summer.  I'd never thought of making my own until I came across a recipe in Psychologies magazine - such a great idea!  I couldn't wait to try it (if only because the real deal is so hard to find here in the States). I made a couple of amendments - I added fresh mint, which muddles wonderfully with lemon, and less sugar (I don't like really sweet drinks - this is 'tangy', you could add more if you prefer sweeter).  

Lemon Mint Barley Water

The night I visited Ad Hoc in Yountville featured a main course of roasted pork alongside barley scattered with fresh spring vegetables. For my own version, I opted to cook the barley risotto-style to encourage a creamy texture. I like asparagus and peas, but any seasonal vegetables will work nicely here. - cookingafterfive

Creamy Spring Barley

Did you know that the word “companion” comes from the Latin, “companio” meaning literally, “"with bread"” or implicitly, "those with whom you share bread"?  In my entire adult life, there have been few things I have enjoyed more than baking bread and sharing it.  This loaf represents the old and the new in my bread baking. I started putting toasted wheat germ in my sandwich loaves when I started baking four or five of them every week, when my sons were very young.  Barley flour and barley flakes have made their way into my cupboard more recently.  If you are afraid of making yeast breads, consider this: once you get to know them, you'll see that they are actually quite flexible and forgiving.  As we all should be. Enjoy!!   ;o) - AntoniaJames 

Buttermilk Barley Bread

This recipe is a bit of a project – but it's easy and fun. The biscuits and spread make great week end breakfast fare. Served with a side of thick cut smoky bacon they are perfection. You will want to make your ricotta and infuse your honey the night before. The biscuits and spread come together quickly the next morning; you will serve them hot from the oven in 30 minutes or less.  If you don't feel compelled to make homemade ricotta, you can make the spread to use on your favorite biscuits or toasted bagels – just make sure to use fresh whole milk ricotta that is good enough to eat with a spoon! (And you may need to add a little extra honey.) - hardlikearmour

Curds & Whey Biscuits with Infused Honey & Ricotta Spread

Attempting to ?ght off a winter cold, I made this comfort soup full of fresh ginger and mushrooms. The hulled barley makes it a wonderful wholesome one-pot meal. I also turned it into a hot and sour version adding sambal oelek and lemon juice. - MyCookingDiary

Mushroom Ginger Soup with Hulled Barley

This is really really rich and extremely smooth pudding. - thirschfeld
	

Malted Pudding with Toffee

If my dinner rolls where the song of the South these would be the Marlboro Man.  They are lean, leathery and deeply flavored with three of my favorite ingredients, barley malt syrup, honey and cumin.  They are the perfect au jus mop for prime rib or a great foil for suckling pig.  When I was a kid we were never inside.  Winter, Fall, Summer or Spring we were always out playing with our friends.  Come dinner time my mom would call us in to eat, or more like scarf down,  dinner and then grab two or three rolls and shove them in our pockets to go.  We were boys and we knew we would be hungry again in half an hour.  Well if I were little again this would be the perfect pocket roll.  It isn't to crusty or too soft but it still has a great interior crumb and it is loaded with flavor, no butter or jam required. - thirschfeld

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