Barley And Kale Winter Dish Food

BEEF BARLEY SOUP WITH KALE

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium high heat and add the olive oil.
• Pat the cubes of beef dry and season them with salt and pepper.
• Brown the beef on all sides in the pot (in batches if necessary - do not overcrowd the pot!), and remove the beef to a plate once each side is browned. Don't worry about cooking the beef all the way through at this stage.
• Once the beef has been removed to a plate, add the carrots, celery, onions, garlic and thyme and saute until the onion is translucent and the veggies are soft.
• Add the wine and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pot, until the wine has reduced.
• Add the beef stock, cooked barley, and add the beef back into the pot.
• If using uncooked barley, add 1/2 cup uncooked barley and increase the amount of stock to 5 cups. This will yield a creamier (less broth-y) soup.
• Stir well to combine and cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 30-35 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
• Add the kale, stir well and cook for 5 more minutes, covered.
• Serve with crusty bread.

BARLEY AND KALE WINTER DISH

Steps:

• In a deep pot with a lid, heat 1 Tb of the olive oil over medium/medium-high heat. When heated, add the barley and toast for a minute. Add 2 cups of water to the barley and bring the pot to a boil. Once the water reaches a boil, turn the heat down and allow the barley to cook until tender. This will probably take 25-35 minutes. You can cook barley much like rice: if you find the water disappearing quickly and the grain still isn't tender, just add more water and more time. While this happens:.
• Heat the other 1 Tb of olive oil in a saute skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add your sliced onion and bell pepper. Stir to coat, season lightly with salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is transparent and pepper is tender. Turn off the heat under the skillet, and turn your attention back to the cooked, tender barley.
• With some luck, your barley is tender and there's maybe just a bit of water left among the grains. If not, add a scant 1/4 cup more water. Keeping a low/medium heat under your pot, dump in your chopped kale. Season the pile of kale liberally with salt and pepper, then add the minced garlic and lemon juice. Replace the pot's lid, and allow this pile of vitamins to steam for 3-5 minutes.
• Once the kale begins to wilt a bit, remove the lid again, add the onion and pepper mixture, and stir to mix. Season with additional salt, pepper, and lemon juice as necessary to your taste. Turn off the heat, replace the lid. Finally, to crown your glorious meal:
• Return your now-empty (but likely still greased) skillet to a burner over medium-high heat. Crack an egg for each diner into the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook to fried egg glory (the yolk should be runny! it should!).
• Serve each diner a heaping ladle of the barley mixture topped with an egg. To show off, you could garnish with chopped parsley or scallions.