Barley Recipes
Barley Gratin with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
This satisfying meal can easily be prepared in less than an hour. We love the sweet roasted cherry tomatoes that add the perfect amount of. Feel free to swap out bread crumbs for salted crackers for even more crunch.
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Barley and Rice with Sesame Oil and Chives
Boribap, or barley with rice, is a popular Korean side dish that combines white rice with plump, nutty grains of barley. In their version, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and his wife Marja mix in toasted sesame oil and minced chives for more flavor.
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Lemony Barley Salad with Kale Pesto
Kale does double duty here: Some of the leaves are pureed with lemon juice and olive oil for a phenomenal pesto, and some of them are torn into pieces that are stirred into the cooked barley at the end.
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Zucchini and Spinach Soup with Barley
Chef Justin Cogley adds barley to this lovely, delicate, spring-like soup, which makes it hearty but not heavy.
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Mashed Banana & Whole-Grain Porridge
Making wheat berries for breakfast can require waking up before sunrise, since the grains take at least an hour to cook. But, thanks to new flash-freezing technology, excellent precooked whole grains like barley, quinoa and wheat berries are ready in the time it takes to brew coffee. F&W's Justin Chapple turns frozen grains into a porridge that's great with all kinds of toppings.
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Hot Chocolate with Máchica
Máchica is a sweetened, spiced grain blend that Ecuadorans use to enrich the texture and flavor of drinks. Spanish colonists brought this cooking technique to Ecuador from Mexico, where corn is used instead of barley.
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Barley and Grilled-Vegetable Salad
Grilled vegetables tossed in a simple walnut dressing gives the perfect flavor-punch to cooked barley.
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Three-Grain Cereal with Dates and Cinnamon
Chef Quinn Hatfield cooks big batches of pearled barley and quinoa to keep in his refrigerator for this hot cereal, which comes together in minutes. He also uses the grains in salads. The mixture of cinnamon and chopped dates makes this breakfast nicely sweet—no extra sugar needed.
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Warm Broccoli and Barley Pilaf
People tend to cook barley more in the winter than in the summer. But once it's been toasted in a saucepan with some butter and boiled (only 20 minutes), barley is a terrific showcase for superfresh vegetables, like the broccoli Grace Parisi uses here.
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Barley-and-Spinach Salad with Tofu Dressing
This salad is incredibly satisfying, thanks to the fiber-rich barley Lee Anne Wong tosses with spinach and mushrooms. Crumbled firm tofu in the sherry vinegar dressing adds extra protein.
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Mushroom Barley Soup with Mini Meatballs
Grace Parisi has always been a fan of mushroom barley soup with beef that has been simmered until succulent. For a clever shortcut that still delivers deep flavor, she replaces the beef with meatballs made from a quick mix of sirloin, egg, bread crumbs and cheese.
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Barley Salad with Parsley and Walnuts
Barley is versatile enough to be served warm or at room temperature, as in this terrific salad with walnuts, parsley and salty bits of ricotta salata cheese in a lemon-garlic vinaigrette. It can be served as a main course or as a side for grilled chicken or pork.
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Barley Chupe with Queso Fresco
In many South American countries, thick soups or stews are called chupes. This comforting chupe is made with barley, potatoes and lima beans in a savory chicken broth.
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Mushroom-Barley Soup
"Designer soups" as Jordon Carroll calls chef-inspired pureed soups, often have lots of added butter and cream. She prefers old-fashioned ones like this mushroom-barley, which gets its flavor from good-quality beef stock.
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Pearled Barley Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds and Pine Nuts
This hearty salad combines thyme-scented barley with pomegranate, apple, and pine nuts.
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Barley and Roasted Squash Pilaf
Toasting barley in butter before simmering it in stock brings out its nutty flavor.
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Spicy Grain Soup
Based on a brothy tortilla soup, this fiery, substantial soup is full of nutty-tasting barley, brown rice and bulgur, creating a dish that's high in fiber.