Recipe: Baked Barley Casserole

Recipe Source: Kremezi, Aglaia.  Mediterranean Hot and Spicy.  Broadway Books, New York, 2009 p. 165

What do you do when you're serving an unknown number of people at a time to be determined?  When I'm serving an unknown number of people I try to have something with a lot of carbohydrates on the table.  It makes people feel fuller.  Of course, "a lot of carbohydrates" doesn't have to mean "unhealthy" or "full of empty calories."  I can try to use some kind of whole grain to increase the nutritional value, and add some vegetables to the dish because you can never have too many vegetables on the table.  When the serving time is unpredictable, what I like to do is find a dish that can be served cold or at room temperature.  This dish fit both bills perfectly. 

Of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't make some changes.  The biggest change, of course, was in the type of grain.  The original recipe wanted Arborio rice.  I didn't.  More to the point, I couldn't find my Arborio rice, but the reason I couldn't find it was because I haven't been using it.  I've been using barley for everything that calls for Arborio rice and I decided that this dish would be no different.  I halved the amount of feta cheese solely to reduce the fat count of the finished product.  I also reduced the amount of olive oil used.  The result was actually a pretty tasty dish that could be good as a side dish or as a vegetarian main dish for a smaller party. 

Baked Barley Casserole (serves 8; approx. $2.53/serving)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups scallions, chopped (include most of the green part.)

2 green bell peppers, diced

4 jalapeno chiles, diced

1 1/2 cups barley

1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

1 cup chopped fresh dill

1 quart whole milk (approx.)

Equipment:

• Large, oven-proof saute pan

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in the saute pan.  Add the scallions, peppers and chiles and saute until soft.
3. Add the barley and saute another couple of minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 
5. Stir in the feta, yogurt and dill. 
6. Add 3 1/2 cups of the milk.  Bake 20 minutes.
7. Stir and bake another 20 minutes, adding the rest of the milk if necessary.
8. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. 

Comments

[tigerfish]

Think I need to incorporate more barley into my diet.

[Fearless Kitchen]

Tigerfish - it's a wonderful whole grain... very flavorful as well as healthy.