Scarlet Barley with Mushroom & Cannellini Paprikas

I admit that the main reason I made this recipe is so that I could shred a beet. I have had a thing with beets this past fall but so far I have only tackled roasting them. I found the concept of peeling the raw beet and then shredding it and using it as an ingredient intriguing. And when I learned this month's Monthly Mingle theme is "Think Pink" I decided this recipe for Scarlet Barley from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's "Appetite for Reduction" would be a fun contribution.

The Scarlet Barley along with the Mushroom & Cannelini Paprikas came together in about an hour. Shredding the beet for the Scarlet Barley was harder than I thought. I used the shredder on my mandolin and since the beet is naturally hard it was a bit difficult to get a good position for the shredder to shred it. And of course my hands turned all red. But once that was done the rest was simple. And it wasn't too difficult that I wouldn't do it again to use for other recipes if the ingredient is called for.

I prepared this dish prior to an evening appointment and let it sit on the stove for at least two hours before I ate it. Unfortunately I think it lost some flavor. The end result was somewhat bland to me. I think if I would have tried the barley after letting the fresh lemon sit for about 10 minutes it would have been much better.

The next day I sauteed some Swiss chard with green onions and garlic (like the way it is done for the Miso Udon Stir-fry with Greens and Beans recipe) and then threw the leftovers into the pan to reheat. I mixed it all together and after it was plated I squirted on a bit of sriracha. It was a really great combo to be eaten this way!

Scarlet Barley Serves 6 1 tsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced Freshly ground black pepper 1 bay leaf 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1/4 tsp salt 1 beet (about 3/4 pound), grated Juice of 1/2 lemon Fresh dill, for garnish (optional)

Preheat a 2-quart pot over medium heat. Saute the garlic in the olive oil for about 30 seconds. Add several pinches of pepper and the bay leaf. Add the barley, broth, and salt; cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling stir and lower the heat to low. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When most of the water has absorbed, mix in the grated beet. Cook for about 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat, mix in the lemon juice, and taste for salt. Cover and let sit for about 10 mire minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve topped with fresh dill.


Mushroom & Cannellini Paprikas
Serves 4

1 1/2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dry red cooking wine
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme
1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 recipe Scarlet Barley

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions in the oil until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, pepper, and salt; cook until lots of the moisture has been released, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

Add the wine, broth, smoked paprika, and thyme. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a low boil. Boil for about 3 minutes. Lower the heat and add the beans. Cook to heat through, about 4 more minutes. Use a strong fork to lightly mash some of the beans, to thicken the sauce. Just mash a few against the side of the post and then mix 'em back in. Taste for salt and serve.

Serve over Scarlet Barley with plenty of fresh dill.

This month's Monthly Mingle theme is Think Pink and is being hosted by Sarah at Maison Cupcake.

Mom's Grilled Cheese

A few weeks ago Meeta at What's For Lunch Honey? posted the next Monthly Mingle challenge of Comfort Food on her blog. I have been thinking about it all month. I realized that "comfort food" for me is food that was made by my mom when I was growing up. My mom has these amazing recipes for homemade spaghetti and gravy, homemade bread, and even the most amazing Roast Beef and Pot Roast. I don't know any of the recipes and it is kind of hard for her to convey them to me because it is almost like they are in her blood.

Today my mom made me the most simplest of sandwiches: grilled cheese. Now, everyone knows how to make grilled cheese, right? Not me. I only eat grilled cheese that was prepared by my mother, my grandmother or my ex-husband. I have tried if a few times and just ended up burning it. So I decided that the ultimate comfort food, for me, is something that I don't even make myself!


The secret to my mom's grilled cheese is the bread. She almost always uses an artisan bread. I never grew up with "wonder bread" or anything like it in the house. So the bread gets buttered and then fried in the pan. It ends up being a bit crispy on the outside but still chewy. It doesn't matter what cheese is used, the buttery fried bread gives it the amazing comforting feel that should be. As it happens, today my mom used a combination of Kraft singles and a few slices of some habenaro cheese. It was nice and spicy which balanced the richness of the other cheese and the buttery bread. For me, it is pure heaven.

Chicken with Caramelized Shallots and Honey

I finally got to crack open Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon. It has been sitting at the bottom of my cookbook stack for a while. It's so pretty I've wanted to play with some of the recipes in there, but I have been working on other cuisines. I pulled it out to find a recipe for Monthly Mingle #9: Arabian Nights hosted by Meeta at What's For Lunch Honey? I didn't get very far flipping through recipes before I decided to try Chicken with Caramelized Baby Onions and Honey which is on page 85.


While the recipe calls for an entire chicken, I decided to use about 8 chicken thighs because those are my favorite part. I purchased the thighs that still have the bones and skin on them so that I would get all of the true flavors from the chicken.

This recipe takes a while to prepare. Preparing the ingredients and cooking the chicken takes about an hour. Caramelizing the onions at the end took way longer than I expected. I think I had to boil them at least a half hour before the water cooked off. But my house smelled wonderful the entire time . . . onions, saffron ginger and cinnamon - yum! And it gave me time to prepare the rice which I forgot to make.

Chicken with Caramelized Baby Onions and Honey Djaj Bil Assal (servers 4) 1 pound shallots or baby onions 1 onion, chopped 4 tablespoons sunflower oil good pinch of saffron threads 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 chicken, cut up in 6 or 8 pieces salt and black pepper 1 to 1/2 tablespoons clear honey To garnish: 1/2 cup blanched almonds or a handful of sesame seeds (optional)

To peel the shallots or baby onions, blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and when cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and trim the root ends.

Saute the chopped onion until softened in the oil over a medium heat in a pan or casserole large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer. Stir in the saffron, ginger, and cinnamon, then put in the chicken pieces. Season with salt and pepper, and turn to brown them lightly all over.

Add about 1 cup water and cook, covered, over a low heat, turning the pieces over for 15 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are done. Lift out the breasts and put them to one side. Add the shallots or baby onions and continue to cook, covered, for about 25 minutes, or until the remaining chicken pieces are very tender. During the cooking, turn the chicken pieces and stir the onions occasionally; add a little water, if necessary.

Lift out the chicken pieces and set to one side. Stir the honey into the pan, check the seasoning. You need quite a bit of pepper to mitigate the sweetness. Cook, uncovered, until all the water has evaporated, and the onions are brown, caramelized, and so soft that you could crush them, as they say in Morocco, "with your tongue."

Return the chicken pieces to the pan, spoon the onions on top of them, and heat through. A few minutes should be enough. Serve, if you wish, sprinkled either with blanched almonds fried in a drop of oil until they are lightly golden, or with toasted sesame seeds.