This delicious and easy to make penny bun barley is made with dry penny bun mushrooms or porcini mushrooms, pearl barley, wine, butter and thyme. For an intensive earthy mushroom flavour, everything is cooked in the “mushroom water”. Simply delicious and perfect for the cold season.
I love barley. Already as a little girl, I loved it. Especially the barley soup called jecmenka that my mom used to make. My dad never liked it (but he still ate it every time), but the rest of the family simply loved it. We still love it. And, also in this recipe, I used barley. Pearl barley, to be exact.
Pearl barley is basically barley without a husk. Consequently, it cooks much faster than “normal” barley. If you decide to use the classic barley, soak it in water overnight, in order to shorten the cooking time.
Having said that, you can use rice instead, too. They both pair great with mushrooms and they are both equivalent in fat and protein percentage. Also, they both reduce hunger. Barley, on the other hand, has two times more calcium and fibre and 30% fewer calories.
Mushrooms! I love this earthy and flavourful forest “fruits”. As a child, I loved it when the whole family went to pick mushrooms in the woods. Furthermore, most of the times we found honey agaric mushrooms (small, cute mushrooms, often growing on trees and woody shrubs) and the parasol mushrooms (larger, almost white mushrooms which look like an umbrella). However, sometimes, we were lucky and we found penny buns as well. Yeah!
Also, if you decide to try to pick them yourself, make sure you know which mushrooms are edible and which are not. They can be tricky. Therefore, better ask for advice. Did you know, that mushrooms are a great source of vitamin D and B and they help maintain a healthy heart and protect you against cancer? Oh, yeah, they are delicious and healthy.
Punny bun mushrooms are also known as porcini mushrooms. They are one of the stars of the mushroom world. You can recognise them easily among all other mushrooms. Like most mushrooms, also penny buns pop-up a week after the rain. You can find them in the woods from late summer until the middle of the autumn.
Moreover, penny bun mushrooms are meaty, delicate and with an intense flavour which pairs great with a grilled steak. They taste wonderful when fresh, either cooked or fried in some butter. Lovely. However, there are ways how to enjoy them throughout the whole year. In fact, you can freeze them or buy them dry.
Especially in winter, when you won’t find fresh ones, dry mushrooms are a great idea. They have an intense mushroomy flavour. Dry penny bun mushrooms have an incredible almost smoky flavour and a very rich fragrance. Also, they are perfect to deepen the flavours of soups, sauces for polenta or pasta and gravies for steaks.
Last but not least, they pair amazingly with rice and barley. In order to enhance the lovely flavour, make sure you cook the barley or rice with the same water, in which you soaked the dry penny bun mushrooms. This will give so much flavour and richness to your dish.
Ingredients for two portions of penny bun barley:
- 40 g dry penny bun mushrooms (also known as porcini)
- 400-500 ml lukewarm water
- 3 garlic cloves (sliced)
- olive oil
- 130 g pearl barley
- 100 ml white wine
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 slice of mortadella (optional, cut into strips)
- salt
- 10g butter (about 2 tsp)
To begin, soak the dry porcini in lukewarm water for about 20 minutes. Peel and slice the garlic and cut the mortadella slice. In a larger frying pan, heat two spoons of olive oil. Then, add the garlic, mortadella (if you decide to use it) and after 30 seconds add the soaked mushrooms (keep the “mushroom water” for the next step). Saute and stir for about 5 minutes.
At this point, stir in the pearl barley until all the kernels are coated with oil and cook for a couple of minutes. Add a splash of white wine. After the wine is almost evaporated, add two ladles (or enough to cover the barley) of the “mushroom water”, bring to a light simmer and cook for about 25 minutes.
Every time, the liquids evaporate or are soaked in, add a ladle of the mushroom water. Keep adding the liquids a little at a time, until cooked.
Once the barley is cooked, season with salt and stir some butter in. Serve the creamy penny bun barley topped with some fresh thyme. Oh, what a perfect winter dish packed with earthy mushroom flavours. A nice glass of white wine pairs wonderfully with it.
Enjoy!
