I have a third grader! Yesterday was Abigail’s last day of school, so she is now officially a third grader. How did I end up as a Mom of a third grader? Yikes! Now we have lazy summer days ahead of us, and very little plans so far. I’m sure that summer will still zoom right by, but in the meantime, I’m REALLY looking forward to the alarm-less mornings!
Last night’s dinner for the kids was Abigail’s choice, and she chose salad and pizza, so while they dined on pizza, I decided I really wasn’t in the mood and dove back into my “How To Cook Everything Vegetarian” and found something that spoke to me. When I first got this book I was so excited about it, cooked out of it a few times, and then it was set aside for awhile. Well, picking it up the other day for the Baked White Bean Cakes was like reminiscing with an old friend and we are chums once again. A quick glance in my pantry suggested that maybe I wanted to look for some way to utilize some barley, and I found just the thing.
Barley “Succotash” is a play on the traditional succotash, which we all know has corn and lima beans and whatever else you want to throw in it. This one began with toasting some barley before letting it simmer gently in some water. The barley smelled fantastic as I toasted it up, and while it simmered away we quickly zipped to the store to pick up the lima beans that I was missing. Except that, would you believe there were no lima beans? Not even a place on the shelf for the lima beans to be missing from! I was already planning on tossing some green beans and mushrooms together for a quick roast, so I decided to just use some of those beans for the succotash as well. The remaining steps were really easy and other than the boil time for the barley, this is a very quick dish to throw together. In the ingredients it suggests that tarragon be used if you have it, and while I don’t have any fresh, I did have dried, and I added a few shakes of that. Let me tell you, if you can get your hands on fresh tarragon, this is the place for it. The dried added such a subtle flavor, but it was spot on what the dish needed.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The barley had a great vreamy-chewy consistency that made the succotash much more interesting than simply vegetables. I loved the flavors, it was hearty and it was also substantial. The Barley “Succotash” as well as the roasted mushrooms and green beans were my dinner, and it was a perfect one at that. I cut the recipe in half to make two servings, so I also have lunch already made for me for later on as well. I certainly didn’t miss the meat. I couldn’t talk the kids into trying a bite, but hey, they were busy polishing off a pizza, how can I compete with that? I enjoyed this as a main dish, but I think it would also make a fantastic side dish for a pork tenderloin or a flank steak. If you use oil instead of the butter, this would also be suitable for a vegan.
Oh, and by the way, I’ve been having problems with my template over at The Recipe Trove, so I played with it a little and came up with something different. Please let me know if you’re having any problems with it.
Barley “Succotash”
from “How To Cook Everything Vegetarian” by Mark Bittman
makes 4 servings
4 Tablespoons butter or olive oil 1 Cup pearled or hulled barley Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 Tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 cup lima beans or chopped green or waxed beans 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels 1/2 medium red or orange bell pepper, chopped 2 scallions, thinly sliced 1/2 Cup chopped parsley 1 Tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves (optional)1. Put 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the barley and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring a couple of times to promote creaminess, until the water has nearly been absorbed, about 20 minutes for pearled barley, 30 to 40 for hulled.
2. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter oe oil in a deep skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until plump, a minute or two. Add the beans and sprinkle with salt. Cover and cook, shaking the pan once or twice to prevent them from sticking, until just tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the corn, bell pepper, and scallion and cook the mixture for a minute or two. Stir in the barley and whatever cooking water remains in the pot (it should be only a tablespoon or two). Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened slightly and the succotash is creamy, another 5 minutes or so. Stir in the parsley and the tarragon if you’re using it, then taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.