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Shiitake Mushrooms Pearl Barley with Butternut Squash

Recipe

There is a misconception that vegan food must be very expensive. Well, there is a whole book that states all the common vegan misconceptions so I’m not going to give examples here; I’m just saying that this is one of them!

Pearl barley is a wonderful grain with a rich nutlike flavor and an appealing chewy, pasta-like consistency. Its appearance resembles wheat berries, although it is slightly lighter in color. And, guess what? It’s the cheapest grain that I found so far! At the time of writing this post, you can buy 500g of pearl barley for £0.55. And on top of it, after soaking and cooking – it almost triples in quantity. Thumbs up!

Equipment: oven tray, baking paper, medium saucepan, large frying pan

Prep time: 20 min
Cooking time: 30 min

Difficulty: easy

 

Pearl-barley,-rosemary,-butternut-squash,-shitake-mushrooms_pt

Ingredients


  • 250g pearl barley, soaked overnight
  • 1 medium size butternut squash
  • 180g Shiitake mushrooms
  • 4 stalks fresh rosemary, stalks removed, thinly chopped
  • 2 onions
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp. rapeseed oil
  • 5 small dried porcini mushrooms (optional)
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable stock
  • Fresh ground black pepper

Method


1. Preheat the oven to 220°C

2. Wash and peel the butternut squash, chop it into 2cm squares. Spread the baking paper on a baking tray. Pour the rapeseed oil onto the roasting tray and spread it around with a silicon pastry brush. Add the squash and using the same brush just toss it around so that it’s evenly coated. Roast in the oven for 20 min. Once done, put aside.

3. While the squash is being roasted, drain and rinse the pre-soaked pearl barley. Place it in a big pot and pour over three times the amount of water vs. barley. Bring to boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Place the dried mushrooms in a small cup and cover with boiling water. Set aside.

5. Chop the onions into half-rings and slice the mushrooms into reasonably big chunks.

6. Melt the coconut oil in the frying pan, add the chopped rosemary and cook for one minute, making sure not to let the rosemary burn.

7. Add the onions and cook on a high heat constantly stirring for about 2-3 minutes, until golden. Add pressed garlic cloves and mushrooms. Fry for about 10 minutes, gently stirring.

8. Add cumin, the vegetable stock, roasted butternut squash, drained pearl barley and the dried mushrooms, including the water from soaking. Place a lid over the frying pan and cook on a small heat for another 5 minutes gently stirring every now and then. If the consistency is a little bit dry and mushrooms start to stick to the pan, add a little bit of filtered water.

9. Add some ground black pepper and serve warm.

Tip: this dish will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge so it’s perfect for cooking in batches. Plus, like most stews, it is usually better the next day, so try to cook it a day in advance before serving.

Date

21 April 2016

Category