Vegetable and Barley Stew
Servings 4 to 6 servings
Whether you are vegetarian, vegan or just trying to eat less meat, my Old Fashioned Vegetable and Barley Stew is the prefect comfort food.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons mild olive or other vegetable oil
- 4 leeks, cleaned and cut in half inch chunks
- 5 large carrots, peeled and cut in half inch chunks
- 5 large parsnips, peeled and cut in roughly half inch pieces
- 1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and halved (or quartered if large)
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 4 cups vegetable stock you may need a little bit more or less
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Instructions
- You need a casserole dish with a lid that will go from stove top to oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C or 170°C for a fan oven).
- Heat the oil in the casserole dish over medium heat on the stove top.
- Sauté the leeks for two or three minutes, getting them well coated in the oil.
- Tumble in the carrots and parsnips and cook for moment or two.
- Stir in the mushrooms.
- Rinse and sort the pearl barley.
- Add the pearl barley to the vegetables and stir well to coat it in the oil.
- Stir in 3½ cups of the stock along with the basil, pepper and nutmeg.
- Cover the casserole and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and stir the stew, adding a bit more stock if the barley has absorbed it all.
- Return the casserole to the oven for another 20 - 30 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and stir again, checking to see if the barley and vegetables are tender.
- You can add a bit more stock to loosen the stew if desired, but you want it to be quite hearty.
- Carefully taste for seasoning (it will be very hot) and adding salt and pepper if necessary.
- Serve in warmed bowls.
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