Pearl barley (“shrapnel”, “memories of the army”), when improperly prepared, causes a lot of grief, both from the side of the eater and from the side of the “author” of this porridge. But in due time pearl barley was Peter 's favorite porridge . Now it is sometimes added to first courses, for example, in pickles, just as a thickener, and very rarely used as an independent dish. Mistresses lost knowledge on how to cook pearl barley, forgot how much time to cook pearl barley, how to season it and with what product to use.
Like legumes, pearl barley requires attention and care (and who does not require it!). If you cook it in accordance with all the rules, then this cereal - a source of protein and gluten - is like a delicacy where all the grains are boiled, and not like hard-chewed rubber bullets.
But still: how to cook pearl barley? There are some forgotten secrets!
First, barley must be soaked in advance. Pearl barley, which will stand in the water for up to 12 hours, will then be cooked much faster and more beautifully, as far as the term "beautifully" applies to pearl barley. 1 liter of cold water per glass of barley and 10-12 hours of rest. This is an old Karelian secret, forgotten today.
Before cooking, drain the water. Milk - 2 l - we heat up to about 40 °. Pour barley into hot milk, close the pan with a lid and put it in a water bath, that is, in another pan with water, larger in size. Under such conditions, barley does not stick, milk does not boil, porridge does not burn, the hostess is free, because the porridge that is being prepared does not require additional supervision. The main thing is to ensure that in the pan with water the liquid does not boil completely.
Ideally, this procedure should last as long as 6 hours. This time can be safely spent on household affairs, on hobbies, reading, games, a light weekend's sleep.
But after the specified time, when the color of the porridge becomes light beige, like baked milk, the barley is removed from the heat, butter and cream are added (if there is, but without them it’s good), they leave them to “rest” for 10 minutes and eat ... Porridge during such cooking becomes tender, uniform, melts in your mouth! This is a real independent dish, no garnish of obscure cyanotic shades. It incredibly increases in volume, since the digestion of grains occurs correctly. Pearl barley, cooked in this way, is good to feed those whose work is associated with heavy physical exertion. It has the ability to relieve accumulated fatigue, giving the body a powerful protein charge.
There are variations of the old recipe, which in their own way answer the question of how to cook barley.
It is good to soak pearl barley not in water, but in yogurt. You can soak the cereal not for 10-12 hours, but for 2-3 hours. Then boil, discard in a colander, rinse and again pour into boiling water, adding spices (up to the notorious cube) and cook over low heat for 1.5 hours.
And what refueling options are offered for pearl barley! Here is the Lithuanian Glass Porridge. How to cook pearl barley - the choice is up to the hostess. And then heat the oil in a frying pan (or cook the cracklings), fry the onion (half rings) and one raw potato, coarsely grated, then add soft boiled pearl barley to the same place, turn off the heat, cover and leave for 20 minutes, not forgetting the spices for to taste. While pearl barley is infused, prepare a salad of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and with onions, coarse salt and vegetable oil. Great to go!
How to cook pearl barley, we have already figured out. And as another recommended dressing, mushrooms are perfect:
Fried with onions, seasoned with sour cream and stewed until tender, add the mushrooms to the pearl barley porridge and warm them a little over a tiny fire. Then put on plates and go!
Then the opinion of pearl barley as a nasty shrapnel or an incomprehensible paste will change, and the question will not arise: why did Peter the Great respect and appreciate pearl barley? ..