Hedden Family Recipes

Barley

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
⅓ medium onion, chopped
2 cups pearled barley
6 cups vegetable bouillon
Sachet garni with a few sage leaves, a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, or add ground spices
Other spices to taste: 1 tsp. basil, ½ tsp. white pepper, ¼ tsp. ground marjoram
Salt to taste
Fresh vegetables: carrots, celery, green beans, broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, etc., chopped
Frozen vegetables: peas and corn
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Green onions (optional)
Parsley (optional)

Directions:

Put 6 cups of water into a large sauce pan and bring a boil. Add 3 vegetable bouillon cubes to create vegetable bouillon. Add sachet garni and/or spices to taste.
While waiting for the water to boil, place 2 Tbsp. oil in the bottom of another large sauce pot. Add several turns of fresh ground black pepper. Add chopped onion and mushrooms to pot and sauté at low heat until onion is soft but not brown. Remove from heat before adding barley.
Chop vegetables to taste (carrots, celery, green beans, broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, etc.). Here there are two alternatives: if you want the vegetables thoroughly cooked, sauté them before cooking the barley, and remove these vegetables before cooking the barley, in the same way that the onions and mushrooms are removed. Alternatively, cook the barley first, and add vegetables toward the end. This will have the result of the vegetables being less well cooked.
Put 2 more Tbsp. of oil in the pot and add two cups of uncooked pearl barley (one 16-ounce package). Increase heat to medium. Stir continuously for about five minutes, until barley turns white. Here it is important to stir the barley continuously, so that it does not burn.
Pour vegetable bouillon into pot with barley, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until barley has absorbed water. Add additional water as necessary to keep barley moist, but not soupy.
If you chose to cook the vegetables together with the barley, add chopped vegetables over the course of 5-10 minutes while the barley is still on, stirring each vegetable in as it is added (vegetables that need more cooking go in first, those that need less go in later). When all the vegetables have been added, remove from heat.
Add frozen peas and frozen corn, if desired.
Add 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice, if desired.
Chop long thin-sliced green onions and fresh parsley (leaves only, remove sprigs), add, and stir. Add about two Tbsp. of lemon juice (to taste).