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I'd think that trying them first would be a good start, Pumpkin. Apparently you're averse to Googling, but why not just do it, cook them up with some broth, and see how it goes?

On a side note (I don't think you're doing it here, Pumpkin), it is getting pretty stupid to read comments like "What to do for dinner????" when the OP lists things like pasta, tomatoes, and garlic.

Okay, I'm exaggerating (a little), but cmon, folks. This is "serious" eats, not "i'm a dumbass and i've done no research" eats.

Yeah, yeah, community. It's great. But do some homework and come here with some latent knowledge. Don't use SE as a search engine. Bring something to the party and let others riff off that.

Pumpkin, seems like you could do a LITTLE bit of homework (even a tiny bit), but if you trust SE readers more, so be it. I just think it's a little -- well -- whatever.

@mince - We had the discussion about "pointless" posts almost a year ago, and I think the consensus was that if you don't have any interest in a topic or anything useful/polite to say about it, you should just skip it.

@PumpkinBear, I've never cooked with barley, but I have a Turkish friend who uses it a lot. I don't have any recipes, but I know she makes a sweet porridge with it, and something similar to kisir, which is like taboule. She also makes a soup with it. Maybe you could search on some Turksh websites? This one seems to have a lot: http://www.recipes.tr.cx/

be sure to rinse it very well and then you can cook it like risotto... or you can use it like cous cous or like embolini9 says - a tabouli type salad.
people drink barley water also - it's supposed to be very healthy for you.
(meaning the liquid that the barley is cooked in)....barley can be used in place of rice or other starches. a nice change of pace from mashed potatoes....

I love the "risotto" suggestion, I've tried the mushroom barley risotto recipe on epicurious.com, which is was pretty tasty. I also like to put it in soups and stews!

Do you have pearl barley, which looks like smooth, fat, tan kernels of rice, hull-less / hulled, which looks like tiny little footballs, or rolled? The first can be cooked risotto style, as others have suggested. It takes longer than risotto, but is very nice. The second stays chewy and snappy, almost regardless of how long you cook it and doesn't release its starch. It is great for grain salads. The last form is the most common, unfortunately. Pretty much the only thing I've ever seen anyone do with it is toss it in a soup.

I love hull-less barley for breakfast (similar to steel cut oats) with a bit of maple syrup and almond milk. I usually soak the barley overnight so that it cooks faster in the morning.

With the remaining warm barley; I drizzle with a vinaigrette, add favorite veggies and put in the refrigerator for a quick grain salad for lunch or dinner.

I love barley.
I am actually not a fan of it in soup, but that just may be because I am not a soup person.

Like you, I have been trying to be healthier and so things like barley, lentils and bulgur wheat have been in my rotation a lot. Luckily I love this sort of stuff, I just never used it enough.
I like just adding some cooked barley to the rice I serve under basic foods, or a as a side dish. I like the mix of textures.
I love mixing it in grain salads, as was suggested already--esp. with a vinegary dressing and lots of fresh herbs.

There are some good halva-type recipes out there also that are really really good, and for me at least are an awesome quick meal with some good bread and some sliced fruits or veggies.

I once overcooked some barley down to mush, and I actually added it to my basic bread recipe--amazing! Really nice flavor and texture.

Good luck!

I'm another who found the snarky "Pumpkin" remarks uncalled for. This is a community site, and the contributors have not just an enthusiasm for food, but a certain sensibility and taste for experimentation. And I've found the recipes and suggestions posted here to be excellent, and I've had a better success rate here than with recipes from other sites.

Mushroom barley soup is a family staple - on all sides. I'm continually evolving the recipe based on my mother and grandmother's:

Mushroom Barley Soup - It works equally well with lentils subsituted

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola

4-5 pounds flanken or short ribs, or about 2-1/2 pounds beef, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 small yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

2  carrots, peeled and diced

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in broth or water, according to package directions, then strained and drained.

1 pound fresh mushrooms - I've been mixing white and cremini or Portobello, cut into large slices

6-8 cups  beef stock, preferably unsalted, but you might need more

1 large bay leaf

1 or 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme (optional)

1 cup pearl barley

This soup is also great with lentils. And a few times I've also thrown in some kale in the last 15-20 minutes of cooking.

Salt the meat, then brown it thoroughly - you'll probably have to do this in batches, esp. if using flanken or short ribs. Drain off the fat from the pot, but reserve the brown bits.. Then add all the meat, along with any juices. Add broth, making sure there's enough to cover the meat + about an inch extra.

Add the bay leaf, onions, carrots, celery and garlic and thyme to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 2-1/2 to 3 hours, till meat is tender.

Add dried and fresh mushrooms to the pot, along with the barley and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until barley is tender but not mush (in this case, you could end up with glue rather than soup). You might have to add more broth or water if it gets too thick.

If you used flanken or short ribs, remove them from the pot, cut the meat off the bone, then return to soup.

When cool enough to handle, cut meat from bones into bite-size pieces; return meat to pot along with remaining carrots and celery. Return soup to a simmer.

I've also liked a recipe for Barley Risotto I found here, and I made it with all broth instead of broth + water:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/12/healthy-delicious-barley-risotto-recipe.html

You guys are the best, thanks for all of the awesome suggestions. I'm going to try my hand at barley this week and I'm especially excited about making a barley risotto and MMinNYC's barley and mushroom soup, which I'm sure my boyfriend will love.

I'd actually forgotten I posted a recipe of a beef barley lentil soup until my husband reminded me. I'll just post a link to it as it has a pic of the soup too.

http://cassaendra.blogspot.com/2009/03/soup-kitchen.html

The recipe is halfway down the page. The first recipe is of avocado and bacon soup that he made at the same time. :P

Well, rice don't got much flavor either, but we love it's bland foil for other foods. I adore barley and can eat it plain - boiled with salt or boullion cube, but to introduce someone to the delights of barley, I would highly recommend two things:

-Wild mushroom, barley risotto (ideally with caramelized, crunchy onions on top)

- Beef barley soup (which when I make it turns into a stew cause I CAN'T. STOP.ADDING.BARLEY)

You'll love it.

Cook a batch and then let it cool in the fridge overnight (or just set a couple cooked cups aside from whatever other application you're making it for). Then use it as you would rice for fried rice. It is excellent refrigerator velcro. I made my "fried barley" with leftover roasted sweet potatoes, bacon, ginger, scallion, soy sauce and sesame oil and then topped the servings with some fried eggs. It was one of the best brunch meals ever!

I agree that barley is a great filler for soups and stews. We add barley to our cholent (a Jewish beef, bean and potato stew). It soaks up the flavors of the stew quite nicely!

Hillary
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