Uses for barley?

cuca

We are hooked on hm lemon barley drink at the moment and the kids absolutely love it :j Its cheap to make and I know whats in it as opposed to squash. But, i dont know what to do with the barley once its boiled and i've used the liquid for the drink. Sometimes i boil some lemon rind in it, but sometimes jsut the barley. i added some to stew and soup - but getting a bit tired of that now - need some new ideas. Oh, I have been making a batch every other day. :T

thriftlady_2

Gosh you're lucky, last time I made lemon barley my kids turned their noses up at it (they're not used to squash type drinks). I thought it was fab, so refreshing.

Have you tried the barley as a salad? Add some onion, diced cucumber and dress with a herby vinaigrette. Of course you can vary the veg and add other things like cold meat, smoked fish, cheese...

It is also nice as a plain accompaniment to a stew. Reheat it with a knob of butter or some olive oil.

By the way, you can make barley water with other fruit juices. I've tried rhubarb and redcurrant, and of course oranges and limes work well.

angelavdavis

I would use as a salad as well. If I am feeling really lazy, I would give it to the chickens :rolleyes:

ClaireLR

Ive made barley & mushroom risotto before now, fry onion, garlic and sliced mushrooms in a little oil, add cooked barley and fry for 5 minutes, add herbs of choice and voila! Doesn't look the nicest if I'm honest, a bit grey looking really, but does taste nice I promise!

thriftlady_2

If anyone is interested in making barley water here's a recipe

nic1lou2

Thanks for that Thriftlady I was just going to ask for it!:D Could I just throw that cooked barley into a soup to thicken it up??

thriftlady_2

nic1lou2 wrote: »

Thanks for that Thriftlady I was just going to ask for it!:D Could I just throw that cooked barley into a soup to thicken it up??

Yes you could, but do it towards the end of cooking as it will already be pretty soft.

oxxxxxpink.princessxxxxxo

Thanks for the recipe thriftlady

Penelope_Penguin

I think I'll have a go at barley water :j I'll add this to the existing thread on uses for barley, to keep ideas together

Penny. x

Melonade

Hi,

I've got a bowl of chicken stock and some leftover chicken in the fridge that I want to make some soup from tonight in my sc for tomorrows lunch. I'll add a leek and a couple of carrots and would like to add some pearl barley but it always goes wrong I usually give it a rinse and bung it straight in with everything else but it never swells up properly. Am I supposed to soak it first? And if yes then how do I do it?

My Nan's chicken soup is totally mega gorgeous but she does it on the hob which isn't really an option for me because my pans are rubbish and my cooker is crazy :eek: It's the pearl barley that makes it and I'm desperate to make some lovely soup... were am I going wrong?