Barley Recipes Jamie Oliver Food

BEEF & GUINNESS STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
• In a large pan, cover the pearl barley with plenty of cold water and leave to soak.
• Put a large casserole pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and the whole pickled onions. Peel and quarter the regular onion, then pull the quarters apart into petals and add to the pan.
• Stir regularly while you wash and trim the carrots and celery and slice both ½cm thick at an angle. Stir them into the pan, then strip in the thyme leaves.
• Cook and stir for 10 minutes, while you peel the swede and chop it into 3cm chunks, and finely chop the dried porcini. Stir both into the pan, then slice the beef 3cm thick and add that, too.
• After a couple of minutes, pour in the stock and Guinness. Bring up to a simmer, cover with a scrunched sheet of wet greaseproof paper, and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
• Remove the paper, then cook the stew for another hour, or until the meat is tender.
• Drain the pearl barley and re-cover with boiling water, then cook according to the packet instructions.
• Pick through your greens, discarding any tough stalks, and steam in a colander or sieve above the pearl barley for the last 10 minutes.
• Reserving a little cooking water, drain the pearl barley and return it to the pan, grate over the cheese, add the English mustard and a splash of the reserved water, and mix together.
• Taste the stew and season to perfection, then serve up with the mustard pearl barley and the freshly steamed greens on the side.

PAN-FRIED PARTRIDGE WITH A DELICATE PEARL BARLEY, PEA AND LETTUCE STEW

Steps:

• Cook the pearl barley in boiling, salted water for about 50 minutes, or until tender but still with a little bite, then drain and leave to steam dry.
• Next, heat a glug of olive oil in a frying pan and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly on a low heat for about 10 minutes, without coloring too much. Add the barley and the peas. Cover with the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.
• On a board, mash the flour and butter together with a fork until you have a paste. This is called a "beurre manie" and it's a great way of thickening stews or sauces without having to stir the flour in directly, which could give you lumps. Stir half of the paste into the peas and barley and continue to simmer until the liquid begins to thicken. If, after 5 minutes, it's not thick enough, add some more of your beurre manie. What you want to achieve is a silky smooth broth. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes, adding a little extra stock if it gets too dry, while you cook your partridges.
• Put some olive oil into another frying pan. Season the partridge legs with salt and pepper and add them to the pan. (The legs go in first because they're tougher than the breasts and need longer to cook.) Shake them about and, after a few minutes, when they're lightly golden, add the bacon bits and stir gently to stop them catching on the bottom. Meanwhile, lay the partridge breasts out, sprinkle over the chopped thyme and press onto both sides with a good pinch of seasoning. When the bacon is lightly golden, push it to 1 side of the pan with the partridge legs and lay the breasts in, skin side down. Cook for 4 minutes, then turn and cook on the other side for a minute to give you crispy skin and moist meat. You can cook them for longer if you like your meat well done.
• When the breasts are done, taste the barley broth and adjust the seasoning, then stir in the lettuce and arugula - they only need a minute or so to cook. Serve the barley, peas and lettuce with the partridge breasts and legs on top and sprinkle with the bacon pieces. Spoon the broth juices over the top. Lovely homey cooking!