Despite a long and fascinating history (no, really - barley has been found in settlements dating back 23,000 years, and is even found on Ancient Egyptian coins) barley doesn't seem to get much of a look in these days. Which is a real shame given that you can find it in most UK supermarkets, with barley containing more fibre than other wholegrains such as oats and brown rice. Plus, it looks a bit like honey puffs which is always amusing, and probably the main reason why my partner is such a big fan of the little grain....
The most common variety is pearl barley, although go for hulled barley where you can as this contains more of the bran. I'm also very fond of farro, which looks and tastes pretty identical, even though it's strictly a type of whole wheat (emmer) rather than a true barley. Sadly you don't see farro much in the UK, but it's more common in Italy.
What's the A to V?
Barley is a wholegrain, so high in vitamins B1 and B3, as well as manganese, molybdenum, selenium and copper. The mushrooms here are a good source of vitamin D, with the parsley adding a wee dash of vitamin C.
Ingredients (Serves 2):
75g of barley
1/2 a stock cube
Pack of mushrooms (I like the random 'special' collections which give you a range of different mushrooms, but anything goes)
5 sage leaves
2 garlic cloves
Handful of parsley
Knob of butter (or swap for 1/2 a tbsp of olive oil if vegan)
1/2 a tbsp of olive or nut oil (like walnut or hazelnut)
Optional - add some pecan nuts or crumble over feta to make this into more of a main meal.
Method
Fill a saucepan full of boiling water, add your stock cube, and cook the barley according to the packet instructions (this is usually around the 20 minute mark).
Meanwhile heat your oil and garlic in shallow pan, and when hot add your sage leaves. Cook until starting to brown, and then add your mushrooms and butter, and cook on a low heat. After about 10 minutes your mushrooms should have shrunk and started to brown. Remove from the heat.
Once your barley is cooked through, drain, and add to your pan containing the mushrooms. Give everything a good stir, add parsley and season, and cook for 1-2 minutes so that all your flavours have mixed together.