Barley Morocco

Barley Morocco

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hrs 35 mins
  • Servings: 6

    • About This Recipe

    “This colorful combination of vegetables, garbanzo beans and steamed barley is sure to please. Serve with warm pita bread and melon wedges sprinkled with chopped fresh mint.”

    Ingredients

  • 4cupshot cooked pearl barley, recipe follows
  • 1tablespoonolive oil
  • 1cupsliced onion
  • 1/2 cupsliced celery
  • 2clovesgarlic, minced
  • 2carrots, sliced
  • 1mediumzucchini, sliced
  • 1mediumgreen pepper, seeded and cut into squares
  • 1cupbroccoli floret
  • 1 (15 1/2 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
  • 2cupsvegetable broth
  • 2teaspoonssoy sauce
  • 2teaspoonslemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoonground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoonground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspooncayenne pepper
  • 2tablespoonscornstarch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
  • chopped cilantro, for garnish

    • Directions

  • TO COOK BARLEY: Place 1-1/3 cups regular pearl barley, 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in large saucepan.
  • Bring to boil.
  • Cover and cook on low heat for 45 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed.
  • Makes about 4 cups.
  • TO COOK VEGETABLES: Heat oil in large heavy saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add onions, celery and garlic.
  • Saute 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Add remaining ingredients except cornstarch mixture and garnish.
  • Bring to boil.
  • Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
  • Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened.
  • Spoon barley around the edge of a deep platter.
  • Pour vegetables into center.
  • Garnish, if desired, and serve.

    • Reviews

  • “I am always looking for new ways to cook my favorite grain barley. This is one of the most flavorful new dishes I have found in a long time. Everyone loved it and I will definately make it again.”

  • “I really liked the idea of this recipe, but when I made the sauce initially I felt like the flavors were off. I’m not going to rate it because I ended up changing it quite a bit. I doubled the spices as other reviewers suggested, but then the ginger was too strong. So I added a splash of worcestershire, another cup of vegetable broth and another can of chickpeas. After simmering the flavor was better. I still think it’s missing something. Maybe garam masala or diced tomatoes? I don’t know. I love barley and this is a really great base though, so I’m going to experiment next time.”

  • “We’re trying to eat vegetarian more often, so I’m on the lookout for satisfying vegetarian dishes for a spouse who likes his veggies but can be a tad picky about them as the sole source of nutrition.He liked this!I did substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth (easier to find in our small town), and used a bit more lemon than called for — half a lemon in the cooking, the rest to squeeze atop when served.Might want to add a tad more coriander and ginger next time around — 1/4 *heaping* teaspoon of cayenne was plenty for this particular dish, by our lights.Thanks for posting!”

  • “Enjoyed, as did my husband!I prepared slightly differently – cooked the barley in imitation chicken broth, and simmered the vegetables in seasoned water.When the veggies were tender I tossed it altogether with the barley and it was such a nice, fulfilling side dish!My vegan daughter will love this – I am sure.Thanks for the recipe!”

  • “What a great way to include barley! This recipe is awsome.I tried it last night, I might repeat it tomorrow!”

  • “Very good and easy to make. The leftovers tasted fine — did not get mushy after a few days in the fridge. Mods I made: I added a second can of garbonzo beans to the mix. Mods I will make next time I prepare this: I will double all the spices, as was suggested by another reviewer — this definitely needs more cowbell and we ended up adding some hot asian chile sauce to our bowls for that extra punch of flavor.”

  • “This was great- a healthy, slightly different meal.While the barley was cooking I chopped up all the veggies, then with 15 min of cooking left, I put all the veggies, spices and stock in a pan and left them covered to cook up.Worked great.When the timer went off for the barley, I added the cornstarch, and viola!Next time I think I’ll double the corriander and ginger though…could hardly taste them.”

  • “Impressed with this satisfying, tasty dish.Barley was done in 36 minutes, sauteed onion mix a bit longer than called for, and cut in half the simmering time for remaining veggies.With seasonings as suggested, found it was hot enough, with mild hints of ginger coming through.A good one, thank you!”

  • “I’ve made this recipe numerous times and love it! It’s so easy! I will sometimes change up the vegetable combination depending on what I have in the fridge. The barley is a welcome change from rice. This is truly a winner!”

  • “I made a few changes to the recipe and my family loved it.First I used quick barley which cut the cooking time down. Then I added 1 cup of sliced mushrooms and only put in half of the broth. I doubled the coriander and ginger to spice it up a bit. Next time I will cook all of the vegetables at the same time as I think the onions & green peppers were overdone and the rest were undercooked because I did not want them to go completely to mush.But it had a great flavor and was fairly simple.”

  • “Garbanzos and barley are a winning combo – very tasty together.I doubled the coriander, ginger and cayenne, and still thought it was a little light on flavor.Maybe if I made it again, I would cut back on the broth, and double up on the soy sauce and lemon juice, as well.And something about barley just cries out for mushrooms.I might add mushrooms, too.This recipe originated from the Washington Barley Commission.”

  • “This dish is excellent–rich and complex enough for an entree, yet light in fat.I made only two changes–I substituted niter kebbeh (spiced ghee) for the oil and skipped the cornstarch as I thought the sauce was dine without thickening.So delicious–and so healthy!Thanks, Steve!”

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