Flavorful Fridays: In cooking and in prayer, time is valuable
February 20, 2024 at 3:08 p.m.
Some recipes, like our lives, require more time for the ingredients to come together.
There’s nothing wrong with the 30-minute meal (or less) for the busy workday schedule, and I have tons of these dishes in my kitchen arsenal. They can be a lifesaver when time is precious and the calendar is overloaded.
However, there is something about cooking low-and-slow that helps deepen flavors and character of a recipe that isn’t always possible to replicate in the short term. Many dishes made in a slow-cooker or cooked over low heat change completely with the addition of time.
Two of my favorite examples are caramelized onions and mirepoix. Vegetables don’t take that long to soften for an ordinary use, such as in soup – but if they are left on low heat for longer, they are transformed into something with new characteristics that add unique flavors to the recipe.
Not unlike the long season of Lent: a low-heat spiritual application for 40 days, incorporating abstinence, fasting, desert Scriptures, penitence, contemplation – all of which allow us gradually to transform into something completely different by the time Easter arrives. Hopefully we all stay in the pot and marinate in the graces Lent has to offer, seeking forgiveness and preparing for the rebirth of the Resurrection.
On a quest for Lenten meatless meals, I came across this recipe for Barley with Leeks in an old cookbook that I seldom revisit. I know the cooking time of this dish can be reduced via using a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot, and it’s on my to-do list to investigate. But in the meantime, this longer-cooking original version is perhaps a reminder that extra time can be worth the extra effort.
And while you’re waiting for the barley to cook, it’s an opportunity to sit with the Word of God and read some of those Lenten passages.
EmmaLee Italia is a contributing editor to The Monitor and sole proprietor of Flavors by EmmaLee LLC. For more information email [email protected].
Barley with Leeks, Onions and Sesame Oil
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1 cup barley, rinsed and drained
1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and chopped
4 cups beef or vegetable stock
2 cups water
2 large leeks
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Juice from half a lemon – about 1-2 teaspoons
DIRECTIONS:
Spray a 4- to 6-quart covered baking dish with nonstick spray or coat with butter.
Rinse leeks, then cut off the dark green coarse tops and set aside. Cut off and discard the leek root ends, then slice white and light green portions of leeks in half lengthwise. Chop white and light green portions of leeks into 1/4 inch half-moons, then rinse again in colander to remove any remaining grit. Set aside.
Heat a large frying pan on medium heat. When a drop of water dances when dropped in pan, melt 1 Tablespoon butter in pan and add rinsed barley, stirring to coat. Toast barley 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Remove and transfer to baking dish.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Heat frying pan again; add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and onion. Sauté until onion is just tender. Add onion to baking dish.
Combine beef stock and water, and add 3 cups of liquid mixture to the baking dish. Cover and bake for about 1 hour, or until the liquid is almost absorbed.
While barley is baking, chop dark green leek tops into 1/4-inch half-moons, and rinse in colander. Heat frying pan over medium; add 1 Tablespoon butter and 1 Tablespoon olive oil to pan. When butter has melted, add dark green leeks and garlic cloves to pan. (If you like more garlic flavor, mince the cloves before adding.)
Sprinkle mixture in pan with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir leeks to coat and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock; bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium-low and cover pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until leeks are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
Remove barley dish from oven; add 2 cups of remaining liquid, sesame oil, white and light green leeks. Return to oven. Continue baking for 25-45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. If you want a firmer texture, remove barley dish earlier; add more liquid as needed for softer texture and bake full 45 minutes.
Season barley dish to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with dark green leeks and lemon juice when plating, as desired.
Slow-Cooker Adaptation:
If pressed for time, in the morning set slow cooker on low and complete steps 1-5, adding barley and onion to bottom of slow cooker and skipping oven preheat. Add 3 cups broth, 1 cup water, sesame oil and white and light green leeks to slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Check liquid level at 6 hours and add more water if needed for cooking a bit longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Prepare dark green leeks per directions during last 30 minutes of barley cooking time or refrigerate for later use in soup stock.
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Some recipes, like our lives, require more time for the ingredients to come together.
There’s nothing wrong with the 30-minute meal (or less) for the busy workday schedule, and I have tons of these dishes in my kitchen arsenal. They can be a lifesaver when time is precious and the calendar is overloaded.
However, there is something about cooking low-and-slow that helps deepen flavors and character of a recipe that isn’t always possible to replicate in the short term. Many dishes made in a slow-cooker or cooked over low heat change completely with the addition of time.
Two of my favorite examples are caramelized onions and mirepoix. Vegetables don’t take that long to soften for an ordinary use, such as in soup – but if they are left on low heat for longer, they are transformed into something with new characteristics that add unique flavors to the recipe.
Not unlike the long season of Lent: a low-heat spiritual application for 40 days, incorporating abstinence, fasting, desert Scriptures, penitence, contemplation – all of which allow us gradually to transform into something completely different by the time Easter arrives. Hopefully we all stay in the pot and marinate in the graces Lent has to offer, seeking forgiveness and preparing for the rebirth of the Resurrection.
On a quest for Lenten meatless meals, I came across this recipe for Barley with Leeks in an old cookbook that I seldom revisit. I know the cooking time of this dish can be reduced via using a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot, and it’s on my to-do list to investigate. But in the meantime, this longer-cooking original version is perhaps a reminder that extra time can be worth the extra effort.
And while you’re waiting for the barley to cook, it’s an opportunity to sit with the Word of God and read some of those Lenten passages.
EmmaLee Italia is a contributing editor to The Monitor and sole proprietor of Flavors by EmmaLee LLC. For more information email [email protected].
Barley with Leeks, Onions and Sesame Oil
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1 cup barley, rinsed and drained
1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and chopped
4 cups beef or vegetable stock
2 cups water
2 large leeks
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Juice from half a lemon – about 1-2 teaspoons
DIRECTIONS:
Spray a 4- to 6-quart covered baking dish with nonstick spray or coat with butter.
Rinse leeks, then cut off the dark green coarse tops and set aside. Cut off and discard the leek root ends, then slice white and light green portions of leeks in half lengthwise. Chop white and light green portions of leeks into 1/4 inch half-moons, then rinse again in colander to remove any remaining grit. Set aside.
Heat a large frying pan on medium heat. When a drop of water dances when dropped in pan, melt 1 Tablespoon butter in pan and add rinsed barley, stirring to coat. Toast barley 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Remove and transfer to baking dish.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Heat frying pan again; add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and onion. Sauté until onion is just tender. Add onion to baking dish.
Combine beef stock and water, and add 3 cups of liquid mixture to the baking dish. Cover and bake for about 1 hour, or until the liquid is almost absorbed.
While barley is baking, chop dark green leek tops into 1/4-inch half-moons, and rinse in colander. Heat frying pan over medium; add 1 Tablespoon butter and 1 Tablespoon olive oil to pan. When butter has melted, add dark green leeks and garlic cloves to pan. (If you like more garlic flavor, mince the cloves before adding.)
Sprinkle mixture in pan with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir leeks to coat and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock; bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium-low and cover pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until leeks are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
Remove barley dish from oven; add 2 cups of remaining liquid, sesame oil, white and light green leeks. Return to oven. Continue baking for 25-45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. If you want a firmer texture, remove barley dish earlier; add more liquid as needed for softer texture and bake full 45 minutes.
Season barley dish to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with dark green leeks and lemon juice when plating, as desired.
Slow-Cooker Adaptation:
If pressed for time, in the morning set slow cooker on low and complete steps 1-5, adding barley and onion to bottom of slow cooker and skipping oven preheat. Add 3 cups broth, 1 cup water, sesame oil and white and light green leeks to slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Check liquid level at 6 hours and add more water if needed for cooking a bit longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Prepare dark green leeks per directions during last 30 minutes of barley cooking time or refrigerate for later use in soup stock.