In an effort to improve the quality of grains eaten here at our house, today I found myself confronted by a bag of pearled barley.
Ironically, to cook one of the world’s oldest cultivated grains, I reached for Sally Schneider’s A New Way to Cook. Like Mark Bittman, that minimalist, Schneider is another cook who sets you up with basic methods and then lets you loose with different options and flavorings. Previously, this would have sent me into a full-blown panic, but today only mild panic ensued (I guess the more time I spend in the kitchen, the less hand-holding I need.)
I’ve always loved barley soup, though I don’t make it much myself. But when you want barley without having to fuss with the entire soup-making process, here’s what you do;
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Heat 1 ½ tsp. unsalted butter and 1 ½ tsp. extra-virgin olive oil in medium saucepan over moderately low heat
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Add ½ cup finely chopped onion, cover and cook 5 minutes.
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Add 1 cup barley along with flavorings* and stir for 1 minute to coat the grain completely with oil.
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Add 3 cups water or low-sodium (no MSG )broth plus 1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 35 minutes.
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Turn off the heat and let the barley sit undisturbed for 5 minutes before serving.
*Flavorings: this is what stymied me a little today. I know barley needs help, but I wasn’t sure what flavorings to add. I had, at my disposal: fresh garlic, fresh ginger, fresh cilantro, fresh rosemary plus a ton of dried herbs and spices, including saffron.
Schneider suggested spices or flavor essences, saffron, sprigs of fresh herbs, imported bay leaves, grated fresh ginger, minced lemongrass, or kaffir lime leaves. (She and Nigella must be in cahoots over these kaffir lime leaves. I’ll never get my hands on any.)
I dithered. I consulted. I ran out of time. So I relied on what I know I love: cilantro and cumin. I threw in ¾ tsp of cumin and chopped maybe 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro and threw it into the pot.
The result: best barley I ever had, outside of soup--satisfying and delicately flavored. Cilantro and cumin will always suggest Mexican food, but there wasn’t enough of either to proclaim that this was Mexican barley (which seems an odd idea to me).
I’m going to continue experimenting with flavors. And maybe, on Tuesday, when I go to Minneapolis to drop my mother-in-law off at the airport, I’ll stop by a fancy grocery store and might just stumble across kaffir lime leaves.
1:08:55 PM 
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