Try this Roasted Herb Barley recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 89.3605475 g
- Cholesterol 121.475 mg
- Fat 47.27254 g
- Fiber 18.4836441774368 g
- Protein 11.9549875 g
- Saturated Fat 29.3496024375 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (285g)
- Sodium 337.0071875 mg
- Sugar 70.8769033225632 g
- Trans Fat 3.4572645 g
- Calories 809 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 deg (F)
- In a large ovenproof pan, cook onion in butter for 3 to 5 minutes or until soft.
- Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes.
- Stir in pearl barley, salt, thyme, marjoram, crushed rosemary, sage, and summer savory.
- Saute over moderately high heat, stirring for 3 minutes to coat barley.
- Add hot broth and bring to a boil.
- Bake covered for 55 minutes in oven preheated to 350 degrees (F).
Unlike stovetop pilafs that rely on steady bottom heat, oven-baked barley uses ambient thermal circulation to swell every starch granule evenly. Liquid absorption behaves differently in large batches compared to smaller yields. Doubling this recipe from two servings to four requires widening your baking vessel rather than deepening it; a shallow casserole ensures the liquid depth remains under two inches so steam escapes properly during the 55-minute bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sauteing the pearl barley in butter for three minutes before adding the hot broth toasts the exterior bran layer, creating a barrier that prevents the grain from turning mushy as it bakes.
Crushing dried rosemary in your palm before adding it alongside the thyme, marjoram, sage, and summer savory releases trapped volatile oils instantly. Fresh mushrooms demand a hot pan and a three-minute cook time to evaporate their internal moisture before the barley enters the skillet, avoiding unwanted dilution of the chicken broth. When adapting this dish for dairy-free diets, clarified oil or a neutral plant fat replaces the butter without altering the browning threshold of the minced onions. Leftovers retain their structural integrity for up to three days when sealed in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator.
