Barley Stew with Leeks, Mushrooms, and Greens
My logical brain that loves mathematics is drawn to recipes. I don’t deny there is an art to cooking and baking, but if you hold the key (the recipe!), you can usually make something edible. Sometimes it may even taste good! That’s pretty much how I’ve learned. Trial and error. Sometimes I follow things exactly. Sometimes I tweak them. It all depends. I love the individuality you can impose upon a dish while maintaining the integrity. This is my art. It keeps the left side of my brain happy.
With the weather hovering around freezing for the past few weeks, it has definitely triggered the craving for comfort food. My family changed up the traditional turkey/ham fare for Christmas and substituted Mexican food. So I haven’t had the usual meat-and-potatoes-and-stuffing leftovers to get tired of after a few days. I’ve had this recipe stored up in my bookmarks (I use Delicious!) for a few days now. I don’t normally keep things like leeks and kale on hand (my fridge resembles a bachelor’s more times than I’d like to admit), so as soon as I had the chance I picked some up. While this is a stew, it’s definitely more soup-inspired. I’m okay with that. I didn’t want to feel weighed down after the massive sandwich from new deli in my ‘hood. I ended up simmering the stew at the end for longer than the recipe called for because I wanted more of the broth to cook off. The flavor was simple, but I think that’s what makes it so good. It makes a huge pot, which will be perfect for work lunches the next few days since my boyfriend is out of town.
Adapted from Bon Appetite
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped leeks [about 2 small stalks; white and pale green parts only]
- 8-ounce package of sliced crimini mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 2 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary [I used one teaspoon of dry since I didn’t have fresh]
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice [canned by my grandma this summer!]
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 bunch kale, trimmed, center stalks removed, leaves coarsely chopped [about 10oz before chopped]
Preparation
- Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat.
- Add leeks sprinkle with salt and [fresh cracked] pepper and sauté until leeks begin to soften, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary.
- Increase heat to medium-high and sauté until mushrooms soften and begin to brown, stirring often, about 7 minutes.
- Add tomatoes with juice, stir to combine.
- Add barley and 4 cups broth and bring to boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until barley is almost tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add kale, stir until wilted, about 1 minute.
- Cover and simmer until kale and barley are tender, about 10 minutes.