Baked Mushroom Barley

This is a very traditional Scottish side dish, and makes a wonderful change from potatoes, rice & pasta.  Pot barley is used in this recipe, as it is less processed than pearl barley.  It takes a little longer to cook, but you’ll get more fibre in the end. 

1 T butter

1 large yellow onion, diced

½ lb mushrooms, sliced

1 c pot barley

1 284 ml can low-sodium chicken broth, diluted with enough water to total 3 cups

½ t dried thyme

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375^o.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onion and mushrooms, and cook until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated.  Put the mixture into a 1-1/2 qt casserole with cover.  Top the vegetables with the barley, thyme and salt & pepper.

Using the same saucepan, bring the 3 cups of liquid to a boil.  Pour over the barley mixture, mix, and cover.  Bake for one hour.