A pleasing mixture of textures and flavours

After I rediscovered barley's great flavour and versatility a few weeks ago, I began searching through my favourite cookbooks for recipes featuring this grain. When I turned to Persian Barley & Split Pea Stew in this Moosewood book, I stopped looking. "Now here's something different from the usual barley and mushroom combination," I thought.  And it also met the criteria I'd set for the next new recipe-to-try: #1) a mixture of grains, legumes and vegetables, #2) simple -- not necessarily fast-to-make, but needing only basic tools & skills and one or two pots, #3) adaptable to making in stages, and #4) most if not all ingredients on-hand in the pantry or cold storage (fridge, freezer, or, make-shift "root cellar" on the balcony). This past weekend, all the necessary ingredients, including time, energy and concentration, converged in a pleasant afternoon cooking session and a tasty Sunday dinner...

Persian Split Pea & Barley Stew

... A comforting, hearty meal on a March day when the weather sharply shifted from lamb-like to leonine, and my thoughts turned from seed-sowing to protecting the balcony plants from freezing. The next day, a snow-day and a rare Monday off work for me, I enjoyed leftovers at lunch. I also put in the freezer several future meals for busy days. Yes, I agree, fresh is best, but because of my work hours, I need ready-to-serve meals that I can turn to when time, inspiration and energy are running on empty. (I worry a bit about confessing these things. I hope you won't be shocked or disappointed to know I don't cook from scratch everyday.)

Now, on to the recipe. I'm sharing the classic version as published with my modifications in {curly brackets}.

PERSIAN SPLIT PEA & BARLEY STEW

This combination of grains, legumes, and vegetables offers a pleasing mixture of textures. The barley adds chewiness and the yellow split peas help to thicken the flavorful vegetable stock. The currants and sweet spices nicely offset the tanginess of the lemon and yogurt

STEW
1/2 cup raw barley
1 bay leaf
1 large garlic clove
4 cups water
1 cup dried split yellow peas
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup coarsley chopped onion
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups potatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 pinch cayenne
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons currants
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

GARLIC YOGURT (optional)
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
2 minced small garlic cloves
pinch of salt

toasted pine nuts (optional)
lemon wedges (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the barley, bay leaf, garlic and 2 cups of water to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. {In the morning, I cooked the barley in a rice-cooker.}
3. Add the split peas, cardamom, cinnamon and the remaining water and simmer, covered for another 45 minutes, or until the barley and split peas are soft and most of the liquid has absorbed. {While the barley was cooking, I cooked the split peas & seasonings in a separate pot.}
4. Stir occasionally and, if necessary, add a small amount of additional water to prevent the mixture from sticking. {I combined the cooked barley and split peas and set them aside in the fridge until late afternoon when I continued with the next steps.}
5. While the barley and split peas are cooking, place the onions, carrots, potatoes, salt, cayenne, and stock in a large saucepan.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.
7. Stir in the tomatoes and continue to simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
8. Add the cooked barley and split peas. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf.
9. If desired, combine the garlic yogurt in a small bowl. Sprinkle on a few toasted pine nuts and serve with several lemon wedges or a dollop of garlic yogurt.

Nutrient analysis (without optional ingredients) based on 6 servings; serving size about 500 mL (2 cups)

Calories (kcal)	264.9	Folate (μg)	139.6
Fat (g)	1.6	Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.3
Protein (g)	14.1	Vitamin B12 (μg)	0.1
Carbohydrate (g)	51.7	Calcium (mg)	109.1
Sugar (g)	11.2	Iron (mg)	4.4
Fibre (g)	7.4	Sodium (mg)	1105.1
Vitamin A (μg)	457.6	Potassium (mg)	972.6
Vitamin C (mg)	30.1
Vitamin D (μg)	0
Vitamin E (mg)	1.3
Thiamin (mg)	0.4
Riboflavin (mg)	0.2
Niacin (ne)	7.2

Source: Dietitians of Canada's Recipe Analyzer.

Canada's Food Guide/Vegetarian Food Guide evaluation: A 500 mL (2 cup) portion provides about 1 serving of high-fibre grains, 1 serving of low-fat meat alternatives/legumes, nuts, other protein-rich foods, and 2 servings of vegetables. The yogurt provides a partial serving of milk products/calcium-rich foods.

Rating: 5 stars for so many good things in one simple stew: flavourful, nutrient-rich, economical, easy-to-make and slow. Time at the stove, stirring the aromatic ingredients, was a pleasure that preceded the joy of eating.

Barley -- Beyond Beer & Scotch Broth (Part 1)

 

Along with knitting, my other 2009 creative challenge  -- thanks to inspiration from some old & new blogging friends and a New Year's resolution someone else made on my behalf -- is to try new-to-me recipes, including ones with seasonal foods near the bottom of my preferences list. Like parsnips. Which I'm still working on. With Sophie's help. However, I've finally conquered my indifference to barley, thanks to this recipe I found in an old Canadian Living cookbook.

Bean & Barley Salad 

(File under: all-season, pantry-based, make-ahead, potluck-friendly, quick-and-easy, economical, vegan, high-fibre)

Any combination of legumes works well for taste and presentation. In the version I made this weekend, I used butter beans instead of chick-peas.

1/2 cup (125 mL) pearl barley
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) chick peas
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) red kidney beans
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) white kidney beans
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped green onions
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh coriander or parsley
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

Dressing:
1/3 cup (75 mL) red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
1/2 cup (125 mL) extra virgin olive oil

1) In saucepan of 12 cups (3 L) boiling water, cook barley over medium-high heat for 35 to 40 minutes or until tender but firm; drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and place in a serving bowl.

2) Drain and rinse chick peas, and red and white kidney beans; drain well and add to bowl. Add onions, coriander (or parsley) and jalapeno peppers.

3) Dressing: In small bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin; gradually whisk in oil. Toss gently with bean mixture.

Salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to one day. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis (using RecipeAnalyzer):

Calories (kcal)	380.2	Folate (μg)	111.4
Fat (g)	16.3	Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.5
Protein (g)	12.6	Vitamin B12 (μg)	0
Carbohydrate (g)	47.5	Calcium (mg)	87.4
Sugar (g)	2.9	Iron (mg)	3.6
Fibre (g)	13.2	Sodium (mg)	934.2
Vitamin A (μg)	29.7	Potassium (mg)	547.2
Vitamin C (mg)	13.1
Vitamin D (μg)	0
Vitamin E (mg)	2.2
Thiamin (mg)	0.2
Riboflavin (mg)	0.1
Niacin (ne)	3.9

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I'm going to end the recipe section of the post here. Part 2, to be published in a day or two, will have more information about barley, including its nutrition profile, glycemic index and recent research on health benefits. 

Limes & Lycopene Pantry Challenge

Here's my contribution to Kathryn Elliot's Pantry Challenge Mark 2: a vegan rice-and-beans entree using a bare minimum of ingredients. Kathryn allowed a total of 15 ingredients but I decided I wanted to make mine suitable for various diet restrictions so that I could share it with patients/clients.

The basic ingredients:

The ingredients I selected from Kathryn's list of 15 allowed items: #1 Olive oil, #2 Tinned tomatoes, #3 Tinned legumes, #5 Frozen vegetables, #7 Rice, #13 Fresh onions (not shown in photo), #14 One dried herb mix (Italian blend -- basil, oregano, thyme).

Black Bean-Brown Rice-Sweet Pepper Skillet Dinner

A quick-to-make, simple, tasty vegan lunch or dinner.

• 2 teaspoons olive oil {or just enough to coat a non-stick pan}
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup frozen sweet red, yellow, orange and green pepper slices {I used a mixture called "Fajita Blend"}
• 1 teaspoon dried basil-oregano-thyme blend {I used Edible Gardens Tuscan Kitchen}
• 1 (398 mL/14 fluid ounces) diced tomatoes, drained {I used a no added salt variety. The drained juice made a nice pre-dinner drink}
• 1 (540 mL/19 fluid ounces) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

1. In a nonstick skillet coated with olive oil, sauté the onion, sweet peppers, and herb blend until vegetables are tender.
   
2. Stir in the diced tomatoes.
3. Taste and adjust seasonings. 
   
4. Add beans and rice; heat through.
5. Transfer to a serving dish; enjoy.

Suitable for the following diets: vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free, egg-free. Nutritional analysis: to follow within the next 48 hrs. {See addendum, below.}

I confess I have made this recipe only once -- this evening, just in time for the November 30th Challenge deadline -- but I definitely will be making it again. I would like to fine-tune the seasonings and perhaps try a different Edible Garden spice blend (Spanish Paprika, Mexican Chili Powder,cumin, cayenne and peppers).  I think I would also add more pepper strips for colour as much as flavour and nutrition. 

My conclusion: A good foundation recipe upon which to build some variations depending on what else is in your pantry.

Thank you, Kathryn, for creating this challenge.

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Addendum (02 December):

Nutritional analysis --

• Recipe yield: 6 servings. Serving size: about 1 cup (250 mL).
• Per serving: 207 kcal, 8.3 grams protein (16% of calories), 3.5 grams fat (15% of calories), 37 grams CHO (69% of calories), 6.5 grams fibre, 31 g vitamin C, 106 grams folate, 2.6 grams iron, 140 mg (or less) sodium.
• Nutrient data is from the 2005 Canada Nutrient File, Health Canada. Dietitians of Canada EATracker tool used to calculate values.

Canada's Food Guide comparison --

• 1-1/4 servings of vegetables and fruits, 1 serving of grain products, 1 serving of meat alternatives

Vegetarian cabbage rolls

One of my favourite meals and definitely a comfort food in my family, going back at least three generations (although my mom, gran and Nan always made versions with meat).  A recipe for using the tomatoes, basil and parsley from your garden:

Image: today's lunch -- yummy leftovers from Wednesday's dinner

Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls

1 large head green cabbage, cored
3 cups cooked rice
2 cups finely chopped celery
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
1/2 cup grated carrots
1 small red pepper, finely chopped
1 small yellow pepper, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tsp black pepper
1-19 ounce can stewed tomatoes, chopped

In a large pot bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Toss in head of cabbage and blanch for 4 minutes. Allow to cool then remove the leaves whole. Meanwhile in a small bowl combine the rice, celery, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, onion, garlic, fresh tomatoes, parsley, 1/2 the basil and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Mix well. Distribute mixture on the leaves in a line down the centre; tuck ends in. Gently roll edges of each leaf and place rolls in casserole or baking dish. Top with the stewed tomatoes and remaning basil and pepper. Bake in a preheated over at 350 F for 25 minutes.

Making roti

Image: Peshawari Roti, Pakistan

I enjoy looking at food photography and usually prefer to get recipe inspiration and information from books, but I do think web technology is superior for presenting step-by-step instructions when the right touch is so important. Here is my video pick-of-the-day:

I discovered Manjula's Kitchen this morning but know I will be viewing often.