Barley Pilaf with lemon and pecans
Barley is one of the unsung heroes of the grain world. You can prepare it like risotto, simmer it as a hot breakfast cereal or make it into a satisfying grain salad.
Like arborio rice, barley becomes somewhat creamy when slowly cooked and stirred, as does risotto. But barley has the added benefit of delivering about six grams of heart-smart fibre per serving.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 800 ml (3 1/2 c) low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 100 g (1/3 c) chopped pecans 225 g (1 c) chopped onions
- 225 g (1 c) pearl barley 1 garlic, clove minced
- 125 ml (1/2 c) dry white wine
- 50 g (1/4 c) chopped fresh parsley
- 5 ml (1 tsp) grated lemon zest
Getting started
- Heat the broth in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Keep hot but do not boil.
- Toast the pecans in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant, four to five minutes, shaking the pan now and then. Remove and set aside.
- Coat another pot with cooking spray, add the onions and cook until soft, four to five minutes.
- Add the barley and cook until lightly toasted and glazed with oil, two to three minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute.Add the wine and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed, three to four minutes.
- Add 375 millilitres (1 1/2 cups) of the broth and adjust the heat so that the mixture simmers gently.
- Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and add the remaining broth, 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) at a time, stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed between each addition.
- Continue adding broth and stirring until the remaining broth is used and the barley is tender, 20 to 25 more minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the pecans, parsley, and lemon zest.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Nutritional information per serving: 207 Calories, 6 g Fat (1 g Saturated Fat), 29 g Carbs, 8 g Protein, 6 g Fibre, 0 mg Chol, 49 mg Sodium, 34 mg Calcium
