Barley Risotto

Barley you say? BARLEY!! Yes, barley.  This is literally a thrown together dish of what I had in my fridge and pantry.  It turned out delicious if I do say so myself, so I decided to share it with you all!  So I started with the picture of the onion, lemon, garlic, mushrooms, barley and thyme.  Then when I got into actually making it I ended up using a red onion and I threw in some tomatoes too!  Tomatoes make everything taste better!  So here is the recipe with not so exact measurements as I had to get this on the table quickly.  I eyed a lot of this so if you have any comments please feel free to leave them! 

*Check out the health benefits of barley too!!


Utensils:

spatula
saute pans
chef knife

Ingredients:

2T butter
1/4 red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 medium-large baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper
zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 springs thyme, chopped


2c chicken stock
1t salt
1c quick barley

Saute your red onion first for a few minutes.  Then add in the garlic and lightly saute.  Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for about 5 minutes or so. (*) At this point I added my tomatoes and let them cook down for another few minutes.  Make sure you salt and pepper this to taste at this point too.  While this was all sauteeing I was making my barley.  I had bought the quick barley and I heated a little salted chicken stock and added the barley.  Cook until the barley is slightly tender.  Once all the liquid has been soaked up you can add this to your veggie mixture.   Mix in the thyme as well and let this cook together for a few minutes more.  Season again if necessary and add your lemon zest.  Stir together and serve.

*Oh and just a little FYI, I had smoked some boneless pork ribs the night before.  I diced one up and threw it in after I sauteed the onion, garlic, and mushrooms.  Let this saute for a few minutes, then follow the rest of the directions.  You could also use cooked chicken or shrimp.

The smoked pork ribs

Healthy Barley:
http://www.barleyfoods.org/nutrition.html
http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-barley-6160.html


Oh and just a little sweet treat I made in between for St. Patty's Day....

Guinness cupcake, Jameson ganache filling, and Bailey's buttercream

Jerky or Biltong

Phew what a week last week!  I had to renew my drivers license...and little did I know I would have to retake the two written tests AND the road test! Aaaaahhhhh.  I felt like I was in high school getting my learners all over again!  Now I have to put in a new fuel tank and of course they found something wrong with my fuel pump as well.  Hmmmmm...go figure!  Oh and then I had to go back a few days later to get a new battery.  All the while these things are happening I decided that jerky was the way to cure my headaches.  Of course cooking or really food in general will always be my cure-all, but this week it was jerky!

This is one food that brings back so many memories of my childhood.  Being born in South Africa, I feel like jerky was almost a staple, except it wasn't called jerky.  It was called biltong, which to me is such a nicer, more appetizing name than 'jerky'.  Also Zach, who is a more than a picky eater, loves jerky.  He requested a while ago for me to make him some jerky.  So this long overdue time has come.  Except I am going to call it Nik's Biltong! I am going to make one for Zach that is not spicy and doesn't have a huge flavor profile, I will remind you again that he is soooo hard to cook for.  It will actually have more of a teriyaki flavor than anything else.

Here goes...

Utensitls:


Chef knife
Bowl
Wire rack
Aluminum foil
Sheet pan




Ingredients:


Beef, sliced thin
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/4 cup worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup molasses
2T of fresh garlic, chopped
1-2T black pepper
1T salt




I used a top round steak. You really want the leanest meat possible as the fat will make the meat go rancid.  Slice it thin, about a 1/4' thick and go across the grain. Combine all the ingredients and let the sliced meat marinate covered, in the fridge for at least 10 hours.  Pull out and rinse off with cold water.  Place on a rack and preferably put that on a foil lined sheet pan.  Put the sheet pan in the oven at 170F and crack the door open.  Let dry in the oven for 1hr, turn the oven off, shut the door and continue to dry for about another hour.  

Voila, you have jerky...biltong!  

Bacon, Leek and Potato Soup

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Beware of this soup, it will make your house smell like a leek, but it's so worth it!  I love a really nicely made bowl of soup and I think I can say that potatoes are one of my absolute favorite foods.  I am for sure a true steak and potatoes girl, don't get me wrong I like all the other fancy pants meals and tres chique dishes, but give me a nice juicy (medium rare) steak and a loaded baked potato...Heaven!  Anyway since I love potatoes I thought I'd do this soup.  (We can pretend like the bacon is the steak.)  


Check out the very end for some site links of the health benefits of leeks!  They are pretty similar to onions and garlic with a lot milder flavor.

Utensils:


Sheet pan
Saucepan
Rubber spatula
Chef knife
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups


Ingredients:

8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped(save the grease for sauteeing)
1T olive oil
2T Butter
1/2 onion, small diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 leeks, diced
1t dried sage
2T flour
1c milk(any kind) or heavy cream, heated
1pt chicken stock or water
1 large potato, small diced and par-boiled
salt and pepper


Cook the bacon off on a sheet pan in the oven at 350F until crispy.  Reserve the grease and put in a large saucepan.  Heat the bacon grease, olive oil and 1T of the butter.  Add the diced onions and sautee until translucent.  Add the minced garlic and sautee lightly.  Add in the leeks and season with salt and pepper.  Sautee until tender.  Add in the sage.  Melt in the other Tablespoon of butter.  Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to incorporate evenly.  Continue stirring for about a minute.  Pour in the milk a little at a time and stir after each addition.  Next, pour in the stock, par-cooked potatoes, and bacon.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
*You may also at this point puree this soup if you want a smooth, creamy finish.  I kept mine rustic and chunky because I like seeing what I am eating!  Either way it's great and hope you enjoy this hearty meal.

Loooooove me some bacon!

Make sure you was thoroughly.

This was my sage before I dried it.

I found the mini loaf, at Target actually, to put my soup in! I love bread bowls and if I would of had the time I would have made my own...next time!

Oh and just a little precautionary advice, when you put a hot pan on granite and then lift it up, the granite is "WHOA, HOT!!" I mean not that I would know from experience or anything.




Leeks
http://www.indepthinfo.com/leeks/health-benefits.htm
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/leeks.html
http://www.gayot.com/lifestyle/health/features/leeks-health-benefits.html